Captured
by HudgensEfronLove
Summary: His only objective was to kidnap her and wait until further notice, but something interfered with the job, and now he was left trying to save the both of them.
1. The Job

"Ready, Bolton?" Two piercing blue eyes focused upward at the speaker and he nodded reluctantly. "Always."

He only had one objective this night, to kidnap the most alluring girl on this planet. He'd been staring at her picture for hours, wondering how she got caught up in this mess. Why would anyone need to kidnap her? How could a harmless little thing cause this much trouble? Questions that needed answers would always remain unanswered. Troy could only perform the task, never question his boss's motives. Of course he always had that thought on his mind, but Troy was trained to never underestimate his colleagues.

"Get going, she'll be leaving her apartment shortly" Troy set the photo of the girl on the wooden table and pushed it to weigh himself up. "Got it."

"Now remember Bolton, don't screw this up."

Those few words were all it took to make Troy wince. At the beginning of this execrable job Troy had made a huge mistake regarding the girl he was ordered to kidnap. Ever since then, he made sure to never mess up, even if it meant doing the inevitable. Having his feelings locked away inside him made him the best at his job, even if he had a few mishaps along the way. Walking toward the exit, he sighed drastically and pushed the doors open, not aware of what was to come.

* * *

"Babe, wake up." Smiling sleeplessly to herself, she cracked an eye open to see a figure hovering over her gently whispering into her ear. "Come on, before I turn fifty."

"What's the occasion?"

"Breakfast."

She let a giggle escape her mouth and quickly threw the covers to the other side of the bed "Mmm, my favorite." Still giggling, she pecked at his lips and ran to the kitchen, the man following behind.

"So, what's on the menu today sir?"

"Anything you want Gabriella."

The light skinned man did a clumsy thing with his eyelid, Gabriella soon realizing it was a wink. "Oh how you flatter me Nick. And um, make sure to get your eye checked out." She laughed silently to herself and placed her butt on the stool in the kitchen. "I'm in the mood for eggs today."

Nick was one of those men you would have to take a second look at. His beautiful green sea eyes got you hypnotized at the first glance, and his body had abs to die for. Gabriella considered herself lucky for getting such an amazing guy, soon to be her husband, and she sometimes doubted herself that he was a little 'too perfect'. Sometimes she couldn't understand why he chose her in the first place.

"Whatever you want dear." Nick placed a kiss onto her lips and gripped onto her waist tightly, still being careful not to hurt her. Gabriella placed her arm around his neck, proving she wasn't in pain, and slowly pulled away from his lips. "Breakfast...babe." Trails of kisses were left on her neck and she let out a small moan, trying to get her sentence out "Nic-" Before she could finish her thoughts, the door only a few feet away from her slammed open and the room was flooded with people. That was the last thing Gabriella remembered, along with a painful scream from her fiancee.

* * *

Troy waited for the camera men to come out screaming "Gotcha!" but was left with an empty room and furniture scattered around. Maybe his boss thought he wasn't worthy and hired another man do the job. That still didn't explain why Troy had a gut feeling something was wrong. Here he stood, the house not containing the girl he was assigned to kidnap. Yeah, that was definitely what was wrong with this whole scenario. The fact that she wasn't here. Get a grip, all this shit was fucked up, no doubt about it.

Suddenly awakening him from his state of shock, his right leg vibrated and Troy reached into his back packet. "What the hell is going on? You decided 'now' I wasn't fit for the job?"

The next few seconds left Troys mouth wide open, and he listened to the person speak on the other end of the line, trying to process it all. For once in his life, he didn't know how to respond. Because well, someone else had kidnapped Gabriella before he could get the chance.

* * *

**I know, it's short, forgive me! This is my first story, and I just wanted to get my point across for the plot. I promise the next chapters will be a hell lot longer, and way more exciting! Bare with me though, I wanna see how people respond to it, IF people even read it. Anyway hope you liked it (:**


	2. In for the Money

The badgered headache emerged and was filled with pain leading to the very core of her brain. Studying the room carefully, she noticed the very little amount of space. The walls were a metallic color, and there was no sign of any windows or for that matter, light. The flickering bulb barely overcame the darkness, and she was left wondering where the hell she was. And then it hit her..she was alone. Where was Nick?

"Nick?" Her voice came out raspy and shaky, a sign of being scared. She wasn't entirely scared for herself, but more for her fiancee. What if he was hurt? Worse, what if he was dead?

The door with the giant lock attached soon opened and Gabriella turned her attention to the man in front of her.

"Hello, Gabriella."

"How-w do you-u know my name?" She tried to bring her hands near her face to protect her from what he might do, but soon noticed they were cuffed to a metal bar. "Why am I here?" She pulled at the cuffs, hoping the bar would break and she could make her escape. But it was no use, she was trapped.

* * *

The devilish smile turned into a grin, and the man knelt down beside her. "So many questions, so little time." He gently caressed her cheek with his thumb and continued to speak "Why don't you rest some more sweetheart? You have a big day ahead of you."

Troy sat beside his boss, longing to finally get some answers. Never in his career has he witnessed what has just happened. What foolish bastards got to the girl before him? And how the hell did anyone outside this corporation know about her? This was definitely not how he wanted to start the day.

"You have to find her Troy, or this whole business will come crashing down."

"How could one girl bring down everything you've worked for?" He raised his eyebrow, completely confused. His boss pounded his hand hard on the wall and left it there, clearly in pain. "Just find her Bolton...Don't make me say it again."

Nodding his head Troy left his spot and carried his feet to the door. "Don't worry John, ill fix this."

* * *

Without turning back to him, he left the room, not knowing where to start looking for her.

"Chad, any news?" Chad's hand shut the laptop on top of his legs, and nodded to his best friend. Chad worked closely to Troy, being one of the few people he could trust. His job was almost similar, but at the same time completely different. Chad was more of a computer specialist, that helped with techno-logic shit. Of course, he knew how to handle a gun. All the people he worked with were trained to protect themselves. Troy counted on him at all times when things got bad, and was proud to say he was never disappointed.

"I heard from a friend of a friend, that quite possibly more people were looking for this girl than we thought. Dude, she's like...wanted."

Troy kept his eyes on the road, but spoke in a confusing tone. "That clears it up. Come on, explain what the hell you're saying." Troy swore he heard a little chuckle ripple from Chad's mouth.

"You know, wanted for money. There's a bunch of bad people out to get her. She's wanted for like millions. Anyone who get's her and brings her to the big guy, well...they get the money and clearly they become the best. It's like a competition. And Troy, we're losing."

Troy shook his head in astonishment. Now he was in some running to get the girl? What the hell was this? Rat Race?

"That doesn't tell me where the hell she is Chad."

"I thought you would say that. So luckily I found some information, and you will not believe who's looking for her."

Couldn't he just cut to the chase? This whole thing was already dumb as shit. He wanted to get all this over with and return home, maybe take a nice hot shower. God, that sounded like heaven right about now.

"Alright, just tell me already. It's bad enough I gotta drive around looking for some girl who could be in another damn state by now." Tory stopped the car near the edge of the road, and turned his eyes to Chad.

"Mark Richards man. Mark Richards is fucking in for it."

Troy sarcastically laughed at the name. Mark Richards? That name wasn't mentioned for years since he was fired from the business. His fucked up brain thought he was better than Troy, which obviously took a turn for the worst. No one beat Troy at this game, not even his cousin Mark.

"My cousin? You gotta be shitting me. He's too much of a dumb-ass. He wouldn't know where to start."

"Apparently he did, cause he's the one who got her."

"You're serious? I doubt that."

Chad placed a photo in Troys hand, and smiled brightly. "Serious as I'll ever be."

Troy carefully looked at the photo, examining all it showed to his eyes. There he spotted his cousin, holding the unconscious girl that brought him this mess, along with a few other worthless killers.

"Who's that?" He tapped the picture to where a man was being dragged from the girl, and looked at Chad.

"Supposedly the girls boy toy. They were arranged to get married next month..but clearly that wont happen."

A fiancee? Damn. Of course this girl would have a guy lined up. She was fucking gorgeous.

"How the hell did someone take this picture?"

"Apparently someone was watching her to make sure things went smoothly. They parked their camera a building away and probably stalked her through her window."

"Not creepy at all." Troy chuckled to himself and set the picture aside. "Time to go kick some ass."

* * *

**Ok, so im sure people are confused. But, just wait..all the questions will be answered! And i promise next chapter we'll see some troyella :D **


	3. Cousin

"Troy, slow down. You're gonna kill us both!"

Troy swerved the car into the rocky driveway leading up to a small suburban house, and silently sighed to himself. "Shut up." He opened the car door and walked out angrily, a grin appearing on his face. "Never thought today would be the day I would kill a family member."

Chad quickly leaped to the other side of the car and pounded his hand onto Troy's chest. "We don't have to kill him."

"Of course we do. He was the one that decided to fuck up this little plan."

Rolling his eyes, he pushed Troy to the side of the car door in frustration. "No. He lives. We get the girl, and leave. That's all."

He laughed to himself and reached into his back pocket to retrieve his gun. "Whatever you say."

Troy pulled out his semi and unlocked the safety, clearly ready to go. "You get the girl, I deal with him." Chad followed behind Troy, but didn't stop speaking his opinions that really annoyed him. So what if he shot his cousin? It wasn't like they were close. He didn't have much love for that bastard. Only hatred that built up inside more and more. "Fine, you deal with my cousin, ill get the girl. Happy?"

Chad smirked and leaned against the door that would soon be knocked down. "Ecstatic."

Before anyone of them could get another word out, Troy kicked the wooden door open and held his gun up, waving it around the room. "It seems so deserted." He whispered and continued to search around the house, soon approaching a man dressed in only briefs. "Hey cousin. Miss me?"

The man dropped his rifle that was pointed at Troy, and his eyes went into shock. "Shit."

* * *

Troy slammed his fist hard against the silver coated wall, and groaned loudly. He picked up his gun from his pocket and aimed it once again at his cousin. "Where the hell is the girl?"

Chads arm was rested around Mark, preventing him from being able to move or even twitch. "What girl? This is where I keep the prostitutes."

Anger building up inside of him, Troy smashed his gun across his cousins face and looked closely into his pupils "I know she was here in this room. Now if you don't want this gun up your ass, I suggest you tell me where she is." Then he felt a splash of blood on his face, and he had enough. He grabbed his cousin by his loose blonde hair and threw him to the other side of the room. His patience was up. If he didn't tell him now, he would hope Chad wouldn't stop him from letting him shoot him right between his eyes. "Now I'm gonna give you 5 seconds to tell me, or I promise ill let this bullet enter your brain. 1...2...3...4..."

* * *

"Why the hell would they bring her here?" Troy nodded ahead of him and he raised his eyebrow inward. "A barn? What the hell.." After everything that was happening today, he was positive he would need therapy after this.

"Mark said they would pick her up here. Maybe he was lying." Chad got out, erasing the thoughts from Troys mind.

"Nah, he wouldn't lie. Not after what we did to him." Troy laughed, a hint of evil lingering on his tongue, and got out of the car, making his way toward the giant red barn. This moment felt like a damn country movie.

"Yeah...maybe it wasn't a great idea to stick that gun up hi-"

"Shhh..there's people guarding the place. We don't need them hearing you." Troy quickly ducked from the door, making sure no one would spot them. After a minute of fidgeting with the entrance, he slowly opened the door and walked inside, leaving Chad to watch the outside. Great, another place that seemed to be the house of Dracula. The small windows let some light in, and Troy noticed the specks of dust fogging the air. That's when he saw her. The petite girl was lying down in a corner, two guards surrounded her. Careful not to make any amount of sound, he crawled up to the two men who had their backs facing him, and knocked both of them to the floor with only one hit. Pussies. After taking some time to dispose the bodies, Troy carefully tapped the unconscious girl, and smiled to himself. Finally this day would be over with. Finally.

* * *

"Thanks Chad. I couldn't of done it without you bro." Troy hugged Chad goodbye, and patted him on his back.

"Yeah, yeah. Just be careful man, there's still people looking for her. And until boss gets here, you can't take your eyes away from her. Make sure she's good." He turned to the door and looked back at Troy one more time before leaving "Don't get hurt."

Tory nodded slowly and watched Chad leave the motel. The girl Gabriella was sound asleep on the crappy bed the room offered, leaving Troy some alone time to finally take a breath. He set his gun down on the nightstand and silently handcuffed Gabriella to the bed post, trying not to wake her up. Which probably wouldn't happen, since well, she was knocked out cold. His eyes couldn't help but wander down to her beautifully rounded face, and he felt his stomach twirl inside. Her plump mouth let out air every few seconds, and Troy smiled helplessly at the girl who remained sleeping. He couldn't stop himself from closing the space between them by planting a soft kiss on her lips. But just as their faces were inches away from each other, her chocolate eyes shot open and she muffled a scream.

Quickly he backed up off the bed, landing hard onto the floor beside him. "Fuck!" He held onto his arm, soothing it from the pain and picked himself up off the hardwood floor. When he looked at her innocent face, he felt guilt run through his veins. This would be harder than he thought.

"You're not one of them.." She spoke softly, almost in a whisper and gave him all her attention.

"Thank god for that..." Still noticing her scared expression, he sat down on the chair close by the table, and flashed a small smile. "I guess you can call me your savior."

She let out a small giggle, and shook her head. "Those weren't the words I was looking for.." Man did that giggle make his body ache. He already enjoyed that sound she made, and was thankful she calmed down. "But if you saved me, why am I chained to the bed?" Troy saw her hands twitch in the cuffs, and he completely forgot what she was here for. "Oh...um.."

"Can you uncuff me?"

Suddenly it hit him, and he remembered his purpose. His horrible purpose. "No can do. Some people are coming for you, and I can't have you running off." It was painful to get those words out, and he felt like he had just lied to himself. He didn't really want to hand her over. But still..he had no choice.

"Are you going to kill me?" Her voice was shaky, and Troy knew she was scared again. He quickly shook his head, and turned away from her. He wasn't strong enough to stare at her and speak kind words. Plopping himself up from the chair, he walked toward the bathroom, hoping someone would kill him instead.


	4. Mystery Object

Gabriella shifted to her side, away from looking at the back of this man. It was clear to her he wasn't saving her. If he was, he would let her go home and find the love of her life. She slowly closed her eyes, trying to figure out a way to escape this place. It must be easier to get out of this then it was when she was locked up earlier before. Here it was one on one, maybe she could take him down. But she couldn't help wonder what he meant before when he said people where coming for her. Why would he take her from those other horrible people when he was just going to give her away again? Maybe they were all screwing with her head. She needed answers before figuring out how to get out. And she intended on getting them.

"Who are you?" She rattled her cuffs to get the mans attention and waited for his reply. After shaking his head and mumbling a few words to himself he looked at her and spoke "I know you want answers..Hell, so do I. But I don't have them."

What? How the heck could this man not have answers? He knew something. At least more than her.

"Please..They took my fiancee, and I don't even know if he's okay.." After a few minutes of silence she let out another question. "Is he?"

Troys mind went back to the scene when he took her from the barn. Where was the boyfriend? Why the hell was he not there? "I don't know.."

"Please tell me! I know you know where he is!" Her words turned into screams and Troy ran to her, putting his hand over her mouth. "Don'." She nodded frighteningly at his order and sighed.

"Listen, maybe you can help me out. And then ill tell you what I know..OK?" Troy needed answers for once, even if it meant breaking some rules. He needed to know where this man was, and he needed to know why all these people were after her.

Once again she nodded and he released his hand from her delicate, soft mouth. "Why are so many people after you?"

He heard her whimper a little at the question and she opened her mouth to speak "What are you talking about? I don't know why people are after me? I was hoping you would tell me!"

"Calm down..There's a lot of people after you. Apparently you're worth a lot. I know you know why. So just tell me."

Both of her eyebrows raised and she shook her head in confusion "I really don't know why!"

Troy grunted, and glanced into her eyes. She wasn't lying. "Alright, alright...Your fiancee, what does he do for a living?"

"Why does that matter?" He could see tears starting gliding down her red cheeks, and felt horrible yet again. "Because maybe it will hel-" Before he finished speaking he noticed something red shining on her left hand "Where'd you get that ring?"

She placed her hand over her finger to block his view on her ring "It doesn't concern you."

He walked closer to her, avoiding eye contact. "This matters. Now please, tell me where you got it."

Gabriella played with her ring, like he would snatch it off her any second. "Nick.."

"Is that your fiancee?" After he spoke, she nodded and he froze in shock. That ring was the closest thing he had to figuring out what the hell was going on. He glanced down at his hand and pulled the ring off his finger, eying it carefully. "Fuck me."

* * *

She watched as he panted across the room cursing to himself, and stared down at the ring he was holding. "Why does your ring look like mine?" The tone in her voice was calm, yet she could tell he knew she was baffled.

"Far from it. They aren't the same. Yours had a completely different meaning." He finally calmed down and took a seat at the end of the bed.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm saying each corporation has a different ring to represent them. I know you don't get it, but bare with me. I think the man you're in love with is trying to kill you."

When he finished, she felt her heart break into a million little pieces. There was no way Nick, her Nick, would want to kill her. He loved her..why would he want anything to hurt her? "You fucking liar!" She tugged harder at the cuffs, hoping they would break loose, so she could bash his head for having him accuse her love.

"I don't care what you think. I'm not lying. You can be stubborn all you want and not believe me, but you're being played." He felt his phone vibrate his leg, and grabbed it from his pocket, flipping it open. He pressed his finger on the keyboard and read the text message that was sent to him.

_We're coming for the girl, be ready. _

He scanned the text message and looked at who sent it, but it came up as an unknown number. He chucked it to the side of the room, not caring whether it broke. "Get ready."

"What are you gonna do with me?" Gabriella bit down on her lip hard, scared of her fate.

"Me? Nothing. Some other people..I have no clue."

"Please..don't let them take me, whoever they are. Please just let me go. You can say I escaped. Please."

There it was again, guilt. He couldn't shake it off, knowing he was letting her go straight to her death. To be honest, he didn't want her to die. He wanted to protect her. Even from her dick of a fiancee. She may not believe him..But if he really gave her that ring, he knew that boy was trouble. That ring meant that man was an enemy of his, as well as everyone he worked with. Something wasn't right with all of this, he knew that. He just hoped someone would explain what was happening, before he made a bad decision into giving the girl up.

"I can't do that...I'm truly sorry." He meant it.


	5. Trust Is the Key

A little after an hour of silence between him and Gabriella, Troy heard two knocks at the door, and stood up to answer it. "Again, I wish I didn't have to do this."

It was scary knowing she was so close to death. She would never be able to start a family, or get to finally be married. Why couldn't he just kill her instead? She'd understand that more.

Troy unlocked the door, letting a muscular man pass by him. The random colleague his boss hired to take Gabriella walked near the screaming girl and broke the handcuffs, throwing her over his shoulder. Troy winced at her yells for help and stared at her struggling. It took him a little more than 5 seconds to realize what else he was staring at. A ring stuck to the mans finger, and things went into slow motion from then on. It was the same ring he argued with the girl about. The ring that was the cause for so many things. It was on someone he worked with, someone he was supposed to trust. How could he not notice it before? It seemed like this man had JUST put the damn ring on. Troy wasn't stupid. He knew this man, and he did not remember seeing the ring there before. They were inches from the door when Troy made a brave decision. Before he had the chance to argue with his thoughts, he shot the man straight in his arm, allowing him to drop Gabriella. He needed to get the girl, and get the hell out of here.

* * *

3 hours later.

She felt a tap on her shoulder, and slowly opened her eyes to reveal an enormous room before her. It wasn't like the previous place, it was more like a room in a mansion. What the hell had happened?

"Good, you're up." She knew that voice, she recognized it like her own now. She completely opened her eyes and anger filled her face "You."

He laughed softly at the girl and nodded "Yes, me. Happy to see me?"

_Yes _"No. Why the hell are you here? I thought-"

He shut her up by responding quickly "Yeah, plans changed. Unfortunately I can't trust many people now." As he came closer to her, she backed up slowly, realizing she wasn't handcuffed this time. "What the?"

"Oh, yeah. I thought this would help you trust me more. We're both on the same side now. Confused, lost, hopeless."

"Yeah, i'm going to trust you. You almost let me die!"

"But...I didn't. So lets cut to the chase. I was too dumb before to ever realize what the hell was happening. Thankfully, ive got brains. So, as you were denying that your precious baby was trying to kill you, I was thinking about all the shit that's happened today. Your fiancee, my boss, and a lot of other people want you dead. I just need to find out why." Trying to breathe after that long statement he continued speaking quickly "I think it's in our best interest that we trust each other, understand? So please, tell me anything else you know and I promise to keep you safe."

"How do I know you're not tricking me? You could be another one of those people that apparently want me dead."

Troy rolled his eyes and looked straight into hers "You don't. But I'm trying to tell you, before I let anything happen to you, I need to find out what is going on."

What would she lose if she agreed to trust him? Maybe he wasn't lying. Maybe he could help her out of this mess. Either way she would be dead, if what he was saying was true. Who could it hurt? "I wish I could help..sure. But I don't know what to tell you. I was just home getting ready to eat breakfast when we were taken by several guys. After that, I was taken to some locked room. The last thing I know I was waking up to another stranger hovering over me in trashy room. Which happens to be the same man right here."

"That doesn't help me much considering I know who took you before." He sighed in frustration and walked to the door "Try to think about your fiancee. It would help if you could remember anything that was unusual with him." And with that he left, leaving her alone in the room to wander around with her many thoughts.

* * *

"Thank you Chad. I can't even explain how thankful I am."

"Just chill man. I know I agreed to letting you two stay here, so you really need to stay here. You can't leave this place without being in danger. I'll be back in a couple of hours with documentation that could possibly help you out. Until then, be careful."

Trying not to laugh, Troy nodded and closed the door after Chad left the safe house. This was one of the few places he was sure no one knew about. Chad only told him about it, in case something like this would happen. Remembering he left Gabriella alone, he ran up the stairs to the room, hoping she would still be there. Still many thoughts lingered in his mind. Why did that man have that ring on? Wasn't he on their side?

* * *

"Knock knock."

Gabriella looked away from the ceiling and to the mans face, trying to hold back a smile. She thought he was going to abandon her and break the 'trust'. At least with him, she felt a little safe. It was better than nothing.

"Hi, stranger." Which was true, she didn't know the mans name. "What is your name by the way?"

"Troy. And I know yours is Gabriella. No need for introductions."

"Okay, Troy, what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Troy sat down on the bed next to Gabriella and tilted his head.

"You know..what are we gonna do?"

"Didn't know there was a we."

This time, she let herself smile, which caused him to show his whites as well. She wasn't going to lie, he was very attractive. If she would pick someone to kidnap her, it would definitely be this gorgeous man. "There is now. I mean we both want the same thing right? To figure out why people want me dead?"

"I guess you can say that." He sort of liked the way she said we. It was nice knowing they would get along, even if he wasn't that great of a person.

"Now..where do we start from here?"

"First, we wait for my friend to get back with some information..And then, we see where it takes us. But Gabriella, before we get into all this, I really need to know you trust me. I can't have you trying to kill me when I'm clearly trying to protect you."

"I understand Troy..Besides, I have nothing left now. If what you say is true, then you're all I got to get me outta this."

It's funny how things change. Before all he wanted to do was hand her over to his boss and get the job over with...But now, he just wanted to save her from his boss. It's like everything he learned just instantly vanished. He was starting to care. And that's what scared him more than this situation.


	6. Games

Waiting for Chad to come back with the details seemed to breeze by. He quite liked this alone time to hang out with Gabriella, and learn more about her history. Over the few hours they spent alone, he learned how she was an only child, both parents also dying when she was young. Her great aunt took her in, soon before she died, leaving Gabriella to fend on herself. She was nearly 16 when she started a life alone. She then met Nick, who she 'fell in love' with. That annoyed him the most. After knowing someone for that long, and putting all trust in them..It was weird how he would just betray her out of the blue. It didn't seem to matter, now that nothing made sense anymore.

"You know..you didn't tell me much about yourself. I've been doing the talking this whole time, and I feel like I'm hogging the attention."

Troy glanced up at Gabriella who was laying down on the bed, her loose hair falling over her chest. Troy couldn't seem to take his eyes off the view. The way her breasts were perfectly sculpted, her cleavage noticeable as well. He just wanted to know how they felt being cupped by his shaking hand. The things he would do to her..He would probably be put to jail for such thoughts. "Well, I have a lot on my mind at the moment." _You._

"Oh please. Stop with the tough guy shit. You can trust me now. I won't judge anything you have to say." Gabriella retorted, smiling evilly.

And he told her. He told her everything between the foster homes, the new families, one in particular keeping an interest on him. He told her how one foster parent took him in as a young recruit for the business. He was only eight at the time, and just trying to follow in someones foot steps. That was where all this started. He learned the dark truth about the man who took him in. He killed people for a living, and at the time Troy didn't understand how anyone could do that. Things changed overtime, and he saw everything more clearly. Eventually leading him to this moment. This moment where he told feelings and stories he's never shared to a stranger before. It even took him some time to tell his best friend, Chad. With her, he wasn't afraid to shed some secrets. And that's why it all felt completely absurd.

"That's a deep story Troy. I don't understand how you went your whole life without loving someone and really calling them family." She was right. He couldn't understand either. The closest thing he had to family was Chad. John didn't even count to him as family. All his life he made like he admired him, when in reality, he thought he was a monster. But that monster was transforming him into the same species, little by little.

"But I guess I know how it feels to have someone close betray you. Since you and him were close?"

"I don't know for sure he did anything wrong Gabriella. This could all be a misunderstanding on our part."

"Whatever you say Troy. Whatever you say." Deep down, he knew she was right. Even if it hurt like hell to know it.

* * *

After that conversation, things remained quiet between them. It wasn't necessarily a bad quiet, but feel along the lines of awkward. Every few minutes he would catch her staring into his orbs, and not enough will power to not look back. This was a different feeling for Troy, and he wished it would vanish.

"Shouldn't your friend be back soon? I thought you said a couple hours...It's been a while." Indeed it has. Where the hell was he?

"I don't know, I'm sure he's on his way." She nodded at his response and lifted her legs off the bed, uncomfortable with her position. Her feet moved toward Troy, and she stood above him, smiling that beautiful smile. "Can we at least do something to kill time?"

"Now's not the time to play tag Gabriella." He couldn't help but laugh at her childish thoughts.

"Smart ass, I don't want to play tag. Unless you're into that sort of thing?" She poked his shoulder lightly and mouthed 'You're it' to him, almost coming out as a whisper.

"Funny. Under the conditions right now, I don't think we should be playing kiddy games."

"Hey grumpy, you brought it up in the first place. I just don't wanna be bored all damn day waiting for your friend. Live a little Troy. What do you have to lose? We don't know when we're gonna leave this place." After she finishing her sentence she poked Troy on his nose, clearly not giving up.

"Watch it Gabriella." He answered back in a cruel tone. "I hate tag."

"And I don't care!" She pushed against his chest and sprinted to the door, quickly trying to unlock it.

Finally giving up, he ran in her direction and stopped short like a football player, moving from side to side. "Give up Brie."

"Brie? I like it." She did a seductive thing with her lips and responded with a wink. "Catch me if you can!" Before letting her take a breath he jumped toward her reaching his arm out to grab her. Just as he was inches from touching her, she ducked under his arm and crawled to the other side of the room, leaving Troy clueless. "Cheater." He heard a low giggle coming from the opposite side, and noticed her having trouble getting up. Seeing her struggle, Troy laughed to himself and made his move before she could trick him again. He picked her up by her loose shirt and threw her to the wall gently. "Gotcha."

"You didn't touch my skin. Therefore, you lost." He walked over to her, bringing up both arms around her to cage her in so she wouldn't escape. She felt his hot breath against her cold skin, sending shivers throughout her body. His lips were such a site up close, and she felt weak kneed just looking at them. She then made the mistake to look into his soft blue eyes, not able to look away from him. His face kept leaning closer and closer and she was almost positive he was going to attach his lips to hers. Suddenly a wave of disappointment filled the air when he rested his face near her ear whispering "Did now." But at the same time, she was grateful. She only met this guy hours before, and still barely knew him. He was going to let her die, after all. She just couldn't help feeling tension between them. Even if she still had a fiancee that may or may not want her dead. All these thoughts were making her damn head hurt.

"Fine, you win." Gabriella tried pushing at his arm, hoping he would loosen his grip on her sides. She just wanted to get far away from him as possible, before she ended up attacking him for not kissing her. Maybe he didn't have to move, because a few seconds later, two wet lips came crashing down on hers, sending mixed signals everywhere.


	7. Trouble

Her first instinct was to push him off and scream her lungs off for doing such an inappropriate thing, but all she could do was kiss him back. Her arms seemed to move on their own, wrapping them around his neck and gently tugging at strands of his hair. Slowly she brought her right leg and threw it over his waist. He took notice and quickly lifted the other leg around so she was off the floor and into his arms. Unwillingly she let his tongue slip inside her mouth, letting him explore all she had to offer. He held onto her back, letting his hands glide up her shirt, gently touching her skin. A small moan escaped her mouth and she felt herself being pushed against the wall ending with a loud thud. For him it seemed to be a wake up call and he pulled away from her grasp, regret seeping in his eyes.

"I..I'm sorry, I don't know what the hell happened."

She nodded and backed away from him, looking down at her shirt and quickly fixing it from the creases. "Yeah..I don't know what happened either." Honestly, she was pretty annoyed he pulled away. Since this horrible experience started, this was the first time she was happy. It was a different feeling she had for Troy then with her fiancee. When she was with her fiancee it seemed like she had to be someone else. Someone he liked better. With Troy, he acted like she was enough, and she didn't have to pretend. Not to mention the butterflies in her stomach every time their eyes met. Screw her killer fiancee, she wanted Troy. Now.

"Maybe I should leav-" He was interrupted by a fiery kiss and fell back onto the bed, Gabriella sitting on top of him. Suddenly he felt a tingling sensation occurring in his pants, and quickly pushed her off, breathing heavily. "What are you doing?"

"You. Now shut up." Again, she pressed her lips onto his and was the first to enter her tongue in the kiss. He was surprised at how she had so much control in this situation, and had more of an innocent vibe elsewhere. Damn, there was no innocence to this. She was practically ripping at his clothes, but he wasn't complaining. After 10 minutes of making out heavily with her on top of him, they heard a creak at the door and he had a hard time trying to pull away. Luckily she was in control again, and pushed herself off him.

"Troy, you have to leave now!" Chad had a hard time trying to breathe as he ran to the pair, gun at hand.

"Whoa calm down buddy. What's going on?" Troy held his hands up in defense, trying to calm Chad down.

"They followed me. You have to go now!"

"Tell me what the fuck is going on!"

"I can't explain now, there's no time. Just go!" This time his voice was harsh, and Troy understood when he needed to obey orders. And this was one to obey. With that he grabbed a scared Gabriella, and sprinted past Chad to the hallway, soon making his way outside to the car. As they reached the destination, Troy found it hard to let go of her hand. He didn't realize how comfortable it felt. But he knew he had too, so for the short time to get inside the car and go, he let her hand go.

"Where are we going to go?" Gabriella spoke in a quiet voice. She seemed to be afraid, like someone would hear.

"I don't know. He didn't tell us that much. I guess we'll go to a motel a few hours away."

"That's it? How are you going to get in contact with Chad?"

"There's a phone in the glove compartment. Grab it, will you?"

Gabriella nodded and pulled it out for him. She gently threw it on his lap and stared at it for a while. But it wasn't the phone she was staring at..More like the jeans that kept it from falling. Ever since the little session before, all she had were dirty thoughts. She wanted to see what was inside, past the pants. She knew she had to control herself, she just didn't know how. Letting out a loud gulp, she looked to the right of her, out the window.

"You know..about before..I shouldn't of done that. It isn't the time to let my hormones take over."

"Yeah..uh..I did kiss back Troy." She couldn't deny the tension between them. It was unbearable.

"It was nice though. Maybe after all this, we could continue it..If you want."

"So you think there will be an after?"

"I hope." What was he saying? There definitely wouldn't be an after. He knew that. Things would turn badly for them, it was obvious. People were after her that had more power than the president himself. And now that he decided the wrong path, he would go down with her. "Unless you still got that fiancee." Really? That's all he could get out? There were worse things than a murderous ex-fiancee. Death maybe?

"Shit..I completely forgot about him." He had that affect on her. "I don't know, I don't want to think about him now."

"Right, the whole...yeah. Where is the ring by the way?" He nodded at her finger, then looked back on the road.

"I think it fell off back at the motel. But honestly, I don't care."

"So that's what he gives you instead of a real wedding ring? A damn ring he got from a job?"

From the corner of his eye he could see her shrugging her shoulders. "He told me he would replace it soon with another one. At first I thought it was sweet..Now, not so much."

Troy chuckled and a smirk fell across his face "What a douche."

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

* * *

"Gabriella...Wake up. Brie!" Troy shook her from her deep sleep, but instead of watching her wake up, her lips pressed together and she seemed to snore slightly. Troy smiled at the sound, which was sort of comforting. It wasn't an obnoxious snore, more like a cute puppy snore. Once again he shook her sides and her eyes fluttered open. "Breathe, it's just me. We're here. You can sleep inside." After hearing those words, she seemed to fall right back to sleep. He decided to be a gentlemen and carry her into the room, trying not to wake her. It wouldn't be hard though, she probably wouldn't wake from the sound of a bomb. He got her inside successfully and dropped her lightly on the bed where she made another cute sound with her mouth. He pulled the covers over her and walked away , letting her have her peace. As he watched her sleep, his mind went wild. What he would do do just sleep next to her and have her all to himself. Unfortunately, things weren't like that. He didn't want to move that fast with a girl he couldn't even trust, yet. The other side of his brain disagreed. That was the side he seemed to use a lot more these days. That side said it was perfectly okay to ravish the shit out of this girl. If only that side was working right now.

* * *

"T-Troy?" When she woke up from her long sleep, that was the first thing that popped into her mind. Except, he didn't seem to be around. She scanned the motel room, searching every inch for him, not that there was much. It wasn't like this room was gigantic. She actually didn't even remember getting inside, or how. Finally after giving up, she noticed a note that slipped underneath the bed after she threw the covers of her, full speed. The wind from the covers probably made it fall.

_Went to get some food and talk to Chad. He called last night while you were sleeping. He wanted to meet somewhere safe to talk to me. Be back in a couple hours, don't go anywhere. Don't even step out for sunshine. Stay put. See you soon. - Troy_

Gabriella smiled childishly at the note and set it down on the bed. Food was what she craved the most, right next to him.

* * *

Boy he wasn't kidding. He was really going to be gone for 'hours'. She couldn't help but feel a little worry inside, even though she knew that was stupid of her. He could take care of himself. And it seemed he thought the same for her. Which was a complete lie. She was scared alone. Always was.

"Hurry the hell up." She whispered to herself, trying not to seem crazy since she was the only one in the room. She spent the whole day locked up in this room watching stupid cable shows. It was still better than being locked up without any form of entertainment. This would have to do.

"Why don't you just leave him alone! He can't stand you!" She yelled at the inanimate object like it would respond. Stupid TV. Stupid Troy for making her bored. Stupid sit-

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a noise coming from the door. Her heart stopped in place and she quickly grabbed the pillow on her bed. Like a pillow would do any harm. Psh. The knocking continued, and she was never more scared in her life. What if it was Troy? He would think she was an idiot for not opening it. But wouldn't he of said something to let her know it was him? Reluctantly she stepped off the bed and walked to the window placed next to the door. Carefully she pushed the curtains aside, trying to get a peek out the window. She didn't think she could have a heart attack this moment, but she was mistaken. The man outside was not Troy. And the man outside was not someone trustworthy. But she has seen this man before. This man was her fiancee.


	8. Monster

Her eyes widened at the sight of Nick outside, fidgeting with the door. The beating of her heart increased speed and right then she was sure she would go into cardiac arrest. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky. But..how did he even find her? Troy told her no one was following them. He promised to keep her safe. Yet, here she was, Troy nowhere to be found. So much for keeping her safe.

"Do you know how hard it was to find you baby?" Her eyes shot to the left of her at the entrance of the door and Nick stood a few feet away from her. She was so caught up thinking about Troy, she never heard the door being knocked open.

"You...you.." She stammered, her body going into shock as she fell backwards away from him. "Don't come near me you monster!" Clearly he ignored her, because right after she finished speaking he pranced on her and forced her body into the wall. Her breathing became out of her control, and her eyes were drifting away, slowly. Her name was being repeated aggressively into her ear and he pinned up against her, barely giving her space for oxygen. And that's when she felt it, the sharp object entering her back. She screamed in pain, and he let her fall hard on the floor. The last thing she heard was the faint sound of her voice, and laughing.

* * *

"_Gabriella! Wake up!"_She recognized the voice, but couldn't figure out who it belonged too. It was an angelic voice, husky and beautiful. Was she in heaven? _"Gabriella!" _Her eyes fluttered open, and she was breathing heavily, sweat dripping down her forehead. She was alive. How?

"Jesus, you scared the shit out of me. You were screaming in your sleep, and you just wouldn't wake up." Troy was hovering over her, with a frown on his face.

"Wake up? I was sleeping?" She replied to Troy, confused.

He nodded and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. "You're burning up. What happened?"

"It..it felt so real..He was here. You were gone. I-I didn't know what to do..He stabbed me.." She was trying to be brave, but trying way to hard. "The only thing I could think about was you..and if you were de-" The last word didn't get a chance to finish, because tears started streaming down her face. She couldn't be brave about this, not when it all felt so real.

"Shh, it's okay, I'm here. I wont let anything happen to you." Two arms wrapped around her and she nuzzled her head into his chest, still crying. She felt Troys hand making circles on her back and patting it in comfort. "I-I'm sorry-y." She choked on her own tears, and slightly coughed when he grabbed onto her chin and pushed it up so she was looking into his eyes. They stayed like that, eyes locked, for quite a while, getting lost in them. The crying died down and she finally cracked a smile when he gently kissed her nose.

"This is weird for me you know.." She whispered into his chest.

"What is?" He replied, looking back down at her.

"Falling for someone I barely know."

Troy didn't respond with words, only a soft kiss on her lips, making her body shiver. He cupped her red, puffy cheek into his hand and entered his tongue into her mouth, trying to grab a hold of hers. His mouth tasted like mint, making Gabriella like this even more. They continued kissing for a while, not rough or hard, but more like passionate. He tried to be gentle with her, and make sure not to go to far. But she wanted more. She wanted him.

She pulled back from the kiss going to the corner and down to his jawline, at the same time where she struggled to lift his shirt off to see those rock hard abs. She heard a low groan come from his mouth, and she smiled as she sucked gently on his neck, nibbling at the skin. She must be doing something right. And he didn't even seem to notice she was having a hard time with his shirt. He let out another groan that surprised Gabriella, but she wasn't really focusing on that. That damn shirt was like glued to his skin.

"Fuck..in..ugh.." She yanked at his shirt, and he chuckled at her effort.

"Here." He brushed against her skin and held onto her shaking hand, moving it along his shirt and helping her dispose of it. "Was that so hard?" He smirked and pushed her down on the bed so she wasn't sitting on his lap anymore.

"Shut up ass." She giggled and he pressed his lips against hers once more, not like before though. It was rough this time, just like she wanted. This time things were going pretty fast, a lot faster then before with his damn shirt. Clothes were already on the floor, leaving her in only her black panties, and him in his red shaded boxers. He nipped lightly at her nipple, his whole mouth soon enclosing around it. She let out a loud moan, and arched her body upward.

"Oh..." She spoke, her voice shaky. He trailed down her body, licking every inch of her stomach and making her core tingle. Her breathing became unsteady as he slowly wrapped his finger around her underwear, pulling it down her legs, and touching her skin every so lightly. It made her stomach flip when he touched her like that. Her eyes closed shut quickly when she felt his finger enter inside her, thrusting in and out. She'd never let anyone do anything like this, not even Nick. But it was different with him..She wanted him to do a whole lot more then this.

"Oh my god.." She gasped as he went faster, and pulled out several times to play with her clit, teasingly. Her hand tried to move to stop him from teasing her, but instead they clutched to the bed sheet. Her eyes wouldn't seem to work properly either. Nothing worked when she felt this pleasure.

"Troy...stop..I want you..now.." She let out another soft moan, and he finally pulled his finger out, grinning over her. Her breathing started to return back to normal, but not until she noticed him climbing over her to retrieve a little package. She didn't notice before because he went right into pleasing, but damn..He had one hell of a body. She couldn't take her eyes off his 1 million pack. Not that she wanted too anyway..

"Like what you see?" He smirked, staring at her, aware that she was also staring at him. Her eyes widened at the embarrassment and he quickly pecked her lips before getting himself set up. In the process of removing his boxers and slipping the condom on, she could feel his hard-on brush against her thigh, and she tried to hold back a moan, not wanting to embarrass herself anymore.

"You're so fucking beautiful, did you know that?" He said huskily. God, his voice was enough to make her have an orgasm.

"Just get the fuck in me before I slap you." He chuckled and got himself into position before thrusting himself inside of her. His hands were making there way to her chest, cupping them in his hands. She had hers placed around his hips, digging her nails into his skin.

"Holy...oh...my...OH" She moaned loudly as he hit her soft spot, and he brought his mouth up to hers, crashing them onto hers. She moaned in the kiss as he began to go faster, pulling out and quickly going back in. The kiss was getting shaky due to the pace, and he placed his mouth on her cheek, moaning against it.

"Faster.." She practically screamed it in his ear, and he went in a faster tempo, her hips moving along with his. "More!" She murmured, digging her nails deeper into his skin, and she was positive it was going to leave a mark.

"That's...not...possible.." He tried to speak in between breaths, but it sounded a lot like gibberish. He was right though, he was going pretty fucking fast. She just needed faster.

"I'm gonna c-cum...Ohhhhh.." She gasped in his ear, and he replied with the same noise, making her smile.

"Ah...fuck..me...too.." He continued to go faster grabbing her hips to move along with his, before letting it all out, only to be stopped by the rubber that didn't allow it inside of her. When she finished her climax, he fell to the side of her, panting heavily, like her.

"That was..fucking amazing Brie." He turned his head to face her, still out of breath.

She was kind of upset it was over, she still wanted more. She still wanted him. "Then, lets go again."

He chuckled between his breathing and shook his head "I don't think I have that ability."

"Then, we'll have to find other ways to please eachother." She giggled as he quickly got on top of her and kissed her, agreeing.

* * *

Troy sat up, being careful not to make much sound to wake Gabriella. Her arm was still lingered around him, and he slowly pulled it off, placing it on the bed. The past few hours were amazing, between the sex, and just being with her. But she was tiring, and they basically slept the whole day after that. It wasn't that great of an idea. He was supposed to be in contact with Chad, but was obviously distracted. After he got to the bathroom, he put his clothes on and grabbed the phone out of the jean pocket. No calls..No texts? No nothing. Something was wrong.

"Troy?" Troy almost dropped the phone at her voice, and put it back in his jean pocket before walking out the bathroom to see Gabriella. The sheets were wrapped around her, and she was smiling like a little child that just woke up from a nap. He couldn't help but smile as well, she was so damn adorable.

"Hey, sleepy head." He sat down next to her, and she pulled him in for a quick kiss.

"Hi." She whispered back, after he pulled away. "That was amazing."

"Don't look at me..It was all you." He laughed when her eyes lite up, and he placed his hand on her thigh, softly caressing it.

"So, what's the agenda for today?" She said with a wink, one thing on her mind.

Troy shook his head, laughing "Not what you want. You tired me out little one." She frowned at his response and made that damn puppy face that gets under everyone's skin. Not necessarily in a bad way.

"No Gabriella, there's stuff we have to do." His face became serious and he stood up, but it was only to avoid the face she was making. He would definitely cave in if he kept looking.

"Like..?" She asked, looking up at him.

"First thing, we have to get you outta this motel. I'm feeling like a damn vampire with all this darkness." He was right, this place had like no light. So she nodded, and spoke "Where are we going to go? Your friend..does he have a place for us?"

"No..I'm not even sure if Chad is alive right now. We need to go somewhere else. Somewhere not many people know about. Especially your fiancee."

"Ex-fiancee now." She corrected him. "But..I think I have a place."

* * *

Troy leaned up against the car, staring ahead of him. "This is the place? Are you messing with me?"

She giggled and grabbed his hand, intertwining it with hers. "We can trust her. I've known her since I was like five."

"Yeah okay...but...the house..it's...pink?" He raised his eyebrow, and looked at Gabriella, confused.

"It's her beach house, and only I know about it. So we're safe here." She laughed again, pulling him toward the bright pink house. It was a decent size, considering it was in the middle of nowhere. Gabriella's closest friend, almost sister, Sharpy, brought her here before she met Nick, and Gabriella promised to never tell anyone about it. But this seemed like the right time. Sharpy spent most of her time here to get her mind off of things going on in her life. Sharpy had it pretty bad with her whole family and stuff. Gabriella was the only person Sharpy ever really trusted. Lets just hope today was a good day. Sharpy didn't need to know that she brought someone here.

"I just can't believe someone has a pink house.." He questioned, walking inside with Gabriella. She unlocked the door with the spare key hidden in a little ditch-like-hole, close by the house.

"She always wanted a Barbie house." She answered, shutting the door behind her and locking it.

"Weird.." He looked over to Gabriella who was laughing quietly to herself and he gave her one of those looks that quickly made her shut up. "Can I trust you here alone for a while?"

"What? You're going to leave? I thought you said you would neve-" Troy placed his hand over her mouth and left it there until he finished speaking. "I just need to find Chad. I'm not leaving you forever. Only for a few hours. I promise to come back, okay? Nothing will happen to you. I would never let it come to that." She nodded, signaling he could remove his hand. She was terrified. Even if he was only leaving to help save her. She liked him by her side..But she wasn't going to complain. She knew he wouldn't let her go with him. He says it's 'more dangerous'. Whatever.

"Hurry back..please."

"I promise." He bent down to peck her lips, but it ended up in a short make out session, before he had the will to pull away. "Don't leave." With that, he left her alone in the giant living room, scared shitless.

* * *

**Eh! So im really not good with the sex scenes..But i tried, that counts, right? I kinda like this chapter, it has more fluffy Troyella stuff. So next chapter will be up shortly. Before that, i wanna thank the people that actually read this! I never expected to get ANY reviews. So 19, gosh thank you! That makes me wanna keep updating like every day. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter as much as me (:**


	9. Reunion

"Chad? Hello? Dammit, pick up man. I need to talk to you. Hope you're alright. Call back soon. Bye." Troy slammed his fist against the wheel of the car, and threw the phone over to the other seat. He called 20 times, each one going straight to voice mail. There wasn't much hope left. If he was alive, he would've answered. He couldn't get Gabriella out of this without Chad. If he was dead, they were all dead.

After driving around town for about an hour, Troy pulled up into a long rocky driveway, leading to a small little shack. This was the only option left. He quickly grabbed the phone and put it in his pocket before stepping out of the car and walking to the shack. With three knocks on the door, it opened and Troy grinned before exclaiming "Hey, brother."

* * *

Gabriella roamed around the house, full of complete boredom. She knew Troy wouldn't be back until tomorrow most likely, and it scared her more about being alone. Even if this place was safe, she still had a gut feeling this place was off. Before she scared herself even more, she turned the TV on. She needed some entertainment tonight. She plopped herself on the pink leather coach, and pulled the small blanket over her legs so she was half covered. Man, was this couch comfortable. She sank into the cushion, and felt herself drift into a nice sleep she's been waiting a while for.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here Troy? You could get me killed!" The man on the opposite side of Troy, pulled him in the shack by the arm and slammed the door shut.

"I need your help Dylan. I know I promised to leave you alone, but this is urgent." Troy answered, yanking his hand away.

"I told you NEVER to come here. Did anyone follow you?" Dylan paced back and forth, shaking his head angrily.

Dylan was not Troy's brother by blood, Troy was really an only sibling. Dylan lived in Troy's first foster home, and they became like brothers from the start. It was funny though, Dylan had somewhat of the same features Troy had. If no one knew, someone could easily guess they were real brothers. Dylan was slightly taller than Troy, and had the same color hair. His eyes were a shade of green, and they changed to blue when he became angry. Like right now, they were pretty incomparable.

"This is life or death. I would never come if it wasn't this important."

"I don't care Troy. We made a deal. You let me live a normal life, and you live your damn life." Dylan pointed to the door, signaling that Troy should remove himself. Ah, if only it was that easy. Dylan wasn't exactly a big fan of Troy. Ever since he left the foster home, they decided to keep contact with each other. At the time, Dylan was the only one that knew about Troy's life, and completely disapproved. They got into some big fight and soon Troys boss found out about him. Troy wasn't allowed to be close with anyone on the outside, family or non family. And Dylan was considered a threat to Troy. They stopped talking in all, but not before Dylan was almost killed by someone his boss hired. Troy brought him to a safe little shack that no one knew about, and promised to never speak to him again. He would always be in danger, and this place at least kept him safe.

"I can't go Dylan. Please, you're all I got." Troy ignored his signal, and looked straight at Dylan with weary eyes.

"Why the hell are you here?"

"Some shit is going on. If you let me explain, you'll understand."

"Then fucking get to it before I change my mind and kick you out." And now, the long explanation begins. Great.

* * *

After sleeping for 2 to 3 hours, Gabriella woke up in a sweat and somehow ended up on the floor. Okay, so sleeping wasn't really a good idea. When you sleep, you dream. When Gabriella sleeps, she only has nightmares. This one, all about Troy. She managed to wake up before she could see his death, and crumble to pieces, even if it was only fake. She propped herself up and made her way to the kitchen. Apparently running in your dream can make you actually starving. Who would've thought? She opened the fridge and scanned the items placed inside. When was the last time Sharpy went food shopping? Gabriella was lucky she could even find an apple. Of course, it was rotten with dents. She wasn't entirely hungry anymore.

"Yuck." She spoke quietly to herself and placed the apple in the garbage. If only she could go out herself and buy some food. She wouldn't risk it though. For her sake, and Troys. Suddenly she heard a sound coming from the living room as she was about to go in there for more TV, and quickly ducked under the kitchen counter. Why were bad things always happening to her? God damn. She placed her hand over her mouth to control her breathing and looked around the kitchen for something. A knife would do, if only she was close enough to grab it. She needed it. If the person somehow saw her, she'd still have a chance with the knife right? Wrong. She silently crawled like a mouse to the other counter, and reached her hand out. Almost...there...

"Gabriella?" A tall woman with blonde locks extending her shoulders walked near Gabriellas direction, her eyes widened.

"Sharpy?" Never in her life has she been so thankful to see this girl. She pulled her hand back and stood up, running to Sharpy for a giant hug. "I'm so glad it's you!"

"This is my place.." She giggled and hugged Gabriella back, squeezing her tightly. "Why are you here? What's wrong? Are you OK?"

Gabriella couldn't help but chuckle at her worry. She pulled back and smiled into her direction. "It's a long story."

"I got time." Sharpy answered back, her hands clutching her hips.

* * *

"How the hell am I supposed to help you?" Dylan question Troy, his eyes still in shock after hearing the whole story. "I'm not in that business like you. I don't know what you expect."

"I need you to call Chad for me."

"You can't do that shit on your own?"

"No. I told you, he wont answer. If there's something wrong, and there's a specific reason he wont answer, then if you call, he might answer." Dylan was well aware that Chad offered Dylan help whenever he needed him. Chad became close with Dylan overtime, and they were all pretty tight. Even after the huge fight him and Dylan had, Chad still stood by Dylan and kept his word.

"Troy...you can't call him from my phone."

"Why the fuck not?" Troys voice became loud.

"Because Troy he's-"

"Right here." Troys eyes shot to the man that was standing at the doorway, both hands folded over his chest.

"Chad?" Life is just full of surprises these days, isn't it.

* * *

"You're alive? Why the fuck haven't you answered my calls?" Troy stood up away from Dylan, who tried to hold him back. This kid was getting a beating, and then explaining everything.

"Calm down Troy. I dropped my phone back at the house when they came to get you guys. I barely made it out, but I did."

"You know my number, why the fuck didn't you call me then?" Dylan's grip around Troys hand became tighter, and he pulled him back slightly. When the fuck did he become so strong?

"It's not safe. They could be listening. I knew you would come here eventually, so I waited here with Dylan."

Troy stared back at Dylan and squinted his eyes. "You..if he was here, why did you make me explain like an idiot if you already knew?"

"I wanted to see if you would be truthful with me, unlike last time. And, your expressions were pretty hilarious." Dylan let go of Troy and stepped back to the couch.

"You fucking asshole. Both of you are assholes." He looked back to Chad and walked closer. "You had me worried sick Danforth."

"I can handle myself Troy." He uncrossed his hands and nodded his head to the small coffee table near the couch. "There's something you need to see."

* * *

"I always thought he was a douche bag." Sharpy only spoke those words after Gabriella finished. Nothing more, nothing less.

"You got that right." Gabriella giggled and set the iced tea down on the table after taking a few sips. "I'm scared Sharpy." Her voice turned from giddy, to a scared tone. And she began to shake lightly.

"Gabs, you're gonna be okay. This..Troy, will get him, and kill him before he has the chance to touch you." Gabriella felt chills when she said his name. She hasn't thought about him for a while, and now bad images were coming right back into her brain.

"Nick isn't the only one after me Shar... I-I honestly don't know what he wants with me... What did I do to get into this?"

"Dont worry Gabs..I'm sure you'll find out and things will be okay again."

"Lets hope."

* * *

"What the hell is this?"

"Pictures. Of that man, Nick."

"I know who it's of...But why is he with John?" In front of him, there were numerous pictures of Troys boss shaking hands with Gabriellas ex. Never in his life has he felt so betrayed by the people close to him. Why would two enemies come together?

"I don't know. These were taken yesterday just outside a small cafe near the safe house." Chad grabbed the pictures from Troys hand and placed them in a manila folder. "We need answers Troy."

"How do you expect to get them? They're everywhere. It's not safe." Troy replied, staring up at Chad.

"I have a plan. But it's risky. You might not be up for it."

"I'm in." Troy replied without thinking. He should've thought harder and processed the options in his head..but he just wanted Gabriella safe, and he didn't know things were going to take a turn for the worse.

* * *

**Thanks for the reviews, it means a lot to me! And the honesty in the reviews helps me make the chapters better. But this is an M rated story for a reason, so there's going to be a lot of things people may not like. Im not really good with the sex scenes, as you can see, so there wont be more of that. Just other things ;) I really find this story fun to write, so i like to write a chapter like everyday. Sorry for updating everyday, i know it gets annoying. But yeah, this story isn't really over yet. Theres a lot more things i need to explain. It's going in a different direction than i planned, but personally i like this way better. So yeah, hope you liked it, bye!**


	10. Secret Identity

"So, you are okay with Troy and I staying here right?" Gabriella asked, waiting for Sharpays approval.

"Um, of course! As long as you're safe, you can stay in my bedroom for all I care."

"Thank you. What would I do without you?" Gabriella giggled and leaned in for a hug when she heard the door opening and pulled back, too quickly look who was there. Troy, Chad, and some man similar to Troy stepped inside and Gabriella smiled, relieved. She gently pushed herself up and ran to him, jumping up around his waist. "Thank god you're OK."

He buried his head into her hair, and took her scent in, smiling. "Is that your friend?" He let her drop her feet to the ground before making his way to Sharpay.

"I heard so much about you. It's a pleasure." She reached her hand out to shake and he took it, grinning. "You too. And I must say, you have quite a house." Troy stepped back to Gabriella, wrapping his arm around her waist and whispered into her ear. "I need to talk to you in private." Gabriella nodded at his command and glanced at Sharpay and she walked into the kitchen, with Chad and the other guy following behind.

"Who's that?" She grabbed his hand and brought him over to the couch, waiting for his reply.

"My brother Dylan. Well, not real brother. He's here to help." Gabriellas eyes widened. He looked like a blood brother, how ironic.

"Why didn't you tell me about him?"

He gently ran his thumb along her hand and looked up at her "There's some things between us..It didn't feel right to bring him up at any moment.

She nodded in understanding. "Chads alive I see..That's good."

"Barely. He was at my brothers waiting for me. Gabriella, there's some things we need to talk about."

"Like?" She asked, and he let go of her hand.

"I need you to trust me on this. I need you to tell Sharpay to stay here tonight so you aren't alone."

"What?" She almost shouted, but tried to keep her voice low. "Where are you going now? You just got back!"

"There are things I need to do tonight with Chad and Dylan."

"I know, that's obvious. Just tell me what!" She demanded, this time she couldn't keep her voice that low and she could feel Sharpay staring at her.

"I don't think you should know."

"Troy. You want me to trust you right? Well then you need to tell me everything that's going on. I don't want you to treat me like some 5 year old that doesn't have a clue whats going on."

Troy looked into her eyes, and felt himself cave in to them. She didn't even have to do that cute puppy face this time. All it took were her chocolate eyes to make him wince inside. He took a deep breath and sighed. He knew where this would lead. "There's a party tonight."

"You really think it's a good time for a party?" She interrupted, and Troy put his pointer finger over her mouth. "Let me finish." she nodded and he pulled away his hand, placing it on her thigh. "There's this party, a masquerade really. Chad got some intel on Nick. We think he might be there to make a deal with my boss. We don't know what they will wear, or when they will meet, we just know both are showing up together. I believe they are working together."

"But..I thought you said they were enemies?" Her voice was shaky, and Troy grabbed her thigh a little tighter in comfort.

"That's what I thought..And that's why we need info."

"What are you planning on doing? You think your boss will tell you anything?"

"No..I know for a fact he wont. But maybe..."

Before he finished she quickly responded "I want to be there. I want to help you get him."

"Gabriella, no. It's too risky. He knows what you look like, and there might be people around there that I can't protect you from. I'm not gonna let you go right to your death." He shook his head in disbelief.

"You almost did once before.." She mumbled quietly to herself and he gave her a confused look. "Troy, I want to be there when you knock him out and torture him. He deserves it for what he's done. I want him to regret toying with me and using me for whatever purposes. Please, Troy. If you want answers, I can help you point him out. I know his voice. Please."

"Gabriella no! I don't want you getting hurt!" He stood up away from her, and she stared at his back. "I will be fine Troy...You said it's a masquerade! I'll wear a mask, and he will never know it's me. I wont even talk. I'll be fine Troy. I know you will protect me if anything happens. I trust you, so trust me."

Troy turned to face her, his hands on top of his head. He can't believe he was going to do this. He was actually putting Gabriella in more danger. But she would never give up. She was too damn stubborn.

"You stay in my sight at all times, and if anything seems off, you come to me right away and we leave. Got it?"

Gabriella smiled. Victory.

* * *

"You sure you're gonna be okay staying with Chad and Dylan?" Gabriella turned away from the mirror and looked at her best friend. Sharpay giggled to herself and nodded. "I can handle two boys. Besides, they are pretty cute. It'll be fine. You just promise me you'll be safe."

"I'll be fine Sharpay. I have Troy." Of course Gabriella was nervous. She was never more petrified in her life. But she wanted this. She wanted to see him suffer, and she wanted to be there when they got him. If he was alive, it was pretty obvious that means he's apart of this. There's no way they would try to kill her and keep him alive. Him talking to Troys boss even made it more clear he wasn't a good guy.

"Here." Sharpay woke Gabriella from her train of thoughts and handed her a mask that was black with red edges. Gabriella grabbed it and nodded, putting it over her eyes. Gabriella let her curls loose over her shoulders, and played with her hair to make it slightly messy. Nick wouldn't notice her hair. Only a few times has she ever let her hair down in wavy curls. Most of the time it was up in a ponytail or straightened. She smiled at herself in the mirror and patted down her dress. Her dress was a silky red that stuck tightly to her curves. She played with the straps until she felt more comfortable and pulled the top of the dress down a little to show some cleavage. Her dress extended to her knees, followed by black high heels. She was pretty proud with the outcome. Nick never appreciated her dressing up in a sexy way, so she usually wore sweats or casual clothes. He told her it made her 'slutty'. God, now thinking about it..What the hell did she see in him?

"Is that for Troy?" Sharpay teased, and pointed to Gabriellas outfit.

"Mmmm, maybe." Gabriella laughed and headed to the door to go downstairs.

"Well, if I was him, i'd be down on my knees begging for you." That sounded delightful.

* * *

"Troy, if anything goes wrong..just press this button, and ill be right there." Troy nodded at Chad and grabbed the pager from him, setting it in his pocket. Troy was wearing a normal tuxedo he borrowed from Sharpay, and she swore it was her brothers. But something about it made him feel like it was from someone else, like a lover. It just felt awkward in a way. At least it fit perfectly. Troy finished his outfit with a white mask and placed it over his eyes. The front of his hair was lifted up, and he ran a comb through it one last time.

"Got i-" As he was about to finish, something, or someone, caught his eye. He stared ahead of him at Gabriella who was walking side-by-side with Sharpay. The blonde girl next to her seemed like the ugliest girl in the world compared to Gabriella. Which didn't make much sense, since Sharpay wasn't really bad looking. His eyes were glued to Gabriella as she swayed her hips down the stairs and made her way to him. Never in his life did he ever see someone as stunning as the beauty inches from him.

"You look amazing." He whispered in her ear when she came closer, and her cheeks turned a light pink.

"Not as good as you." She responded and he denied it.

"Ready beautiful?" Again she felt her cheeks turning colors, and she grabbed his hand when he reached out for hers. The touch made her all tingly inside, and she felt butterflies in her stomach. This was gonna be one hell of a night.

* * *

**Alright, so heres the next one! It's gonna get really intense the next few chapters. And things will make A LOT more sense too. So be prepared for action (;**


	11. Live a Little

"How far away is this place?" Gabriella whined, she was starting to become impatient.

"Brie, chill. We're almost there. Stop acting excited, it's not something to be excited about."

Gabriella couldn't help but giggle at his serious tone. "Live a little Troy."

He kept his eyes on the road but still questioned her statement "You're kidding right?"

Gabriella nodded her head, and he saw her from the corner of his eye. "Good."

The next few minutes on the way to the party seemed like an eternity of boredom. Troy wouldn't even let her put the radio on. The whole ride he didn't bother to look at her, or even crack a smile. Troy was taking this way too serious. Everything would be fine. She had faith in him. So why didn't he have faith in himself?

"Lets go." Troy stopped the car and looked at Gabriella who was smiling "You ready?"

"Finally." Before he could reply she stepped out of the car rather anxiously.

He rolled his eyes to himself and stepped out of the car following close behind, and grabbed her arm before she walked inside. The building looked like a small version of the white house, and people were flooding inside every minute. This wasn't going to be as easy as planned.

"Don't speak to anyone. Understand?" Gabriella turned to face Troy and stared at him dead in the eye. "I'll just put on a sexy British accent how about that?" She winked and he shook his head. "Will you loosen up? We can at least make the best of it. Besides, we could accomplish something great tonight."

"Yeah, whatever you say. Just stay close." Gabriella scoffed at Troy. He was clearly not going to make this fun.

* * *

"Troy, how do you expect to find them if we stay here all night?" Gabriella pulled away from his ear, the music was too loud for her to talk normally. Weren't these parties supposed to be elegant, and well..calming? This was like a gigantic ballroom, but instead of nice decorations, there was a DJ and a bar, and grinding everywhere. Was this a damn orgy party?

Troy kept looking into the crowd, as if he never heard Gabriella. Which he did, he just didn't want her to go out there alone. There were way to many people.

"Troy!" She shouted in his ear and he winced turning to her. "What?"

"I'm going to the restroom. And no, you can't come with me. I'll be back, I promise."

He quickly replied a simple "No."

"Troy, stop! There's so many people here. No one would notice me! Okay? I'm going to pee, no questions about it." As Troy was about to respond another no, she walked away from the bar and made her way into the crowd, and he lost her in the bunch. It was too late to go look for her. In case she came back, he wanted to be there. The last thing he needed was for her to be scared. Even if it seemed like he was more scared than her. "God dammit Brie." He leaned against the counter of the bar and waited impatiently.

* * *

God was this place too big for her liking. She got lost trying to find the damn bathroom. And there were even signs planted around the room. She made her way through the crowd, pushing through people and saying and occasional 'sorry' every time someone grunted and cursed at her. It's not her fault people wouldn't move out of the damn way. Gabriella was relieved when she finally came to the bathroom entrance after wandering around for 5 minutes. She knew Troy would be pissed, but it was his own fault he had her on lock down here. Inches away from what she was waiting for she felt a hand on her arm, and she was pushed into the bathroom, the hand still attached. She tripped over herself when she was pushed and the hand gripped her from falling. She noticed in the mirror the man who held onto her, and he let go after he heard her groan.

"Troy? What the hell?" Gabriella could see how furious he was, and backed away when he put his finger over his lips. He came closer to her and pushed her gently into the stall. His mouth came near her ear and she felt his hot breath against her skin, making her quiver. "Don't you ever do that again." Gabriella pushed him away, the tight space they had made it hard for her to look straight at him.

"Why did you push me in here? I was already making my way inside!" She shouted and he put his hand over her mouth. "You were too slow. Besides, I found him." Her eyes widened and she mumbled something, but Troy couldn't make it out. He pulled his hand away and sent her a 'sorry' glance. "You did? How? This place is filled with dozens of people!"

"There were some people at the bar, and they were speaking quietly, trying not to let anyone hear. The names Nick and John were mentioned. So, I followed them to a room not far from here. He didn't have a mask on when he was talking to the two men. And from the picture I saw, It looked a whole lot like him."

Gabriella smiled, and then looked around the stall. "Why are we in the stall than? No ones in here..Shouldn't we be getting him?"

Troy smirked and kissed Gabriella on the neck, making his way to her jawline. "I think it's pretty kinky." He pulled away and winked and she smacked him playfully on the chest. "But you're right, we need to go. Come on." He extended his hand and she grabbed it, leading the way out the girls restroom.

They exited the room, and made a few sharp turns, being careful not to be noticed. The room was only a few feet away, but Troy was having a hard time getting all the way there. This seemed a little too easy to find them. It was never this easy.

"Stay right here. I'll call you in when it's done..we clear?" Troy turned to Gabriella who nodded and nudged him toward the room. "Be careful Troy." Troy nodded as well, looking around the hall to make sure it was clear, and stepped inside the room, opening the door slowly to make little sound. If he was caught, he had a great excuse that he drank a little too much. But that wasn't the case. When he made his way inside, the room was unoccupied and it looked like no one had stepped foot inside. He swore he saw them walk inside this very room not too long ago. They couldn't have left this soon, yet it seemed deserted.

"Hello, Troy." Troy was half way in the room when he heard a voice coming from behind, followed by a hard hit to the face.

* * *

Gabriella tapped her foot impatiently and every few minutes she looked around to make sure no one was in sight. She didn't expect him to take this long to knock the man out and call her in. So why did she get the feeling it never happened? Gabriella crossed her arms over her chest and walked slowly to the door where Troy was inside. She was stopped when she saw a man down the hall, and she couldn't hear her heart beating anymore. This time, it wasn't a dream.

"You really shouldn't be alone in this area Gabi. You could get yourself hurt."

* * *

**Ah! ok, so theres still a lot more chapters left. It isn't over yet. But next chapter is really not my favorite..neither is this one. But it had to be done sometime, so i choose now. Hope you liked it! So get ready, cause in a few hours, or tomorrow morning, im uploading the next chapter. I can't wait to see the reviews (;**


	12. It's Over

Gabriella stood in place, shutting her eyes tightly. Maybe this was a hallucination. Any minute she'd open her eyes and there would be an empty hallway in front of her. She let her right eye open slightly, and no one was in front of her. She quickly opened both eyes and sighed in relief. It wasn't real. She was fine.

"You think closing your eyes would make me go away?"

Gabriella turned her head to face the person who had spoke and her eyes widened in shock. "You're not real...You can't be." She backed away, still facing him, and felt herself picking up her pace.

"Where are you going to go Gabriella?"

Gabriella ignored his words and turned away from him to run in the other direction, but bumped into a large man who grabbed onto her wrists. She started to cry uncontrollably and the man pushed her to the ground, laughing loudly.

"Ready to go home Gabriella?" Nick made his way to Gabriella and held out his hand for her to grab. Her mind was running wild at the moment, and Troys face flashed every few seconds. She imagined his hand reaching out to her, promising things would be okay. But how would they be if he wasn't here? She closed her eyes and hoped for the best before being pulled up, not once opening her eyes. It was over. This was the end.

* * *

"Gabriella, stop fidgeting. You're only going to make things worse for yourself." Gabriella shot him an angry glance and played with her hands that were tied behind her back. She could feel the circulation stopping, and they were becoming numb. She was seated on a chair in a dark room that happened to look like a questioning room where the police talked to criminals. Her legs were tied up, but not as tight as her hands. A tear fell down her face when Troy came to her mind once again. The physical pain she felt was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her heart. He could be dead. She would never see him again.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it already. I can't stand the sight of you." She scoffed, staring at Nick and kept playing with her hands.

"Why would I want to kill you?" He asked, questioning her and moving closer.

"You wanted to before, so why not continue out with your plan?"

"Oh dear, you're so wrong. I never wanted to kill you..." He said, his face completely emotionless. "Just because I had too didn't mean I 'wanted' too. I need to put my safety before anyone else. You understand that right?"

She spat at him, and cursed under her breath. "I would never let the one I love die you heartless pig."

He laughed at her, tilting his head back. "Yes, you're just too innocent. But let me see what you mean."

Gabriella looked at him confused, and he walked out of the room still laughing. After she sat there in complete silence Nick finally came in with shadows following behind him. "What if you had no choice? What if you couldn't do anything to save that person?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? You had a damn choice. You didn't have to do what you did." She was confused, more so than ever.

"Baby, I hate when you're right. But..it wasn't me I was talking about."

Gabriella opened her mouth to speak, but when she saw two big men carry a lifeless looking body inside, she froze still, her mouth still opened.

"You moved on fast. I never took you for that type of person." Nick motioned his hands toward the two men and they dropped the body on the ground before exiting the room, and closing it behind them. He knelt down next to the body and pulled the bag over the mans head. "What do you see in this man?"

"Don't touch him!" Gabriellas screams filled the room, and Nick placed his hands around Troys throat, chuckling to himself. Troy had a bruise forming over his lip, as well as his left eye that was slightly opened. She could hear his breath loudly, as he just kept staring at Gabriella, his eyes sparkling in the light. Gabriellas heart shattered into a million pieces looking at him, which seemed like a corpse. She cried more than she ever cried before. Just staring at Nick with his hands on Troy made her want to kill him right then and there. She finally understood what he was saying before. She was helpless. He was going to kill the man she was in love with.

"Don't you wish you could do something?" Nick spoke softly, and removed his hands from Troys throat and Troy let out a broken cough. He walked away from his body and made his way to a table. He was running his hand over a handgun, and then over a freshly bladed knife. Gabriella stared at him in shock and screamed at him while shaking her head and crying. "You don't have to do this! You're not that type of person! Please!" She begged, and could taste her tears.

"If I could kill you, what makes you think I wont kill him?" He looked at her, and raised his eyebrows.

"Please! I'll do anything you want! Just kill me instead!" She screamed louder, hoping somewhere in that cruel mind he would make the right decision.

"You don't have to die anymore..Everything is okay now. We can be together again Gabriella. And I don't think we can with this man in the way."

Gabriella shook her head quickly and screamed at him to stop walking near Troy. He chose the knife and held it tightly in his right hand. "We can be together. You don't have to kill him. It's not worth it! Just forget about him, and we can leave!" She tried to sound genuine, but only an idiot would ever believe those words. She shook herself on the chair and pulled her hands, trying to get them out of the rope. She couldn't bare to look at Troy without hurting more, if that was possible.

"Do you take me for fool? I see the way you look at him. The way you never looked at me. But you will. I promise you that." He ignored Gabriellas cries and knelt down beside Troy again, placing the knife about his stomach. "You chose baby. Stomach..or heart?" He didn't want an answer. He knew she would chose neither. Without Troy her life would be worthless. Ever since he came along, she found herself smiling more. Laughing more. She was in love with him, and would do anything to just hear him speak one last time. She couldn't let him die, she just couldn't. But she was stuck in this chair, useless. He was going to die. And this was all her fault.

"I...please...No!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, trying to move the chair near them. Maybe she could distract him. Maybe he would surprise her and stand up. But he stayed on the ground, his eyes shut, like he was ready to die. Troy nodded at Gabriella, still not looking at her, and mouthed 'I love you".. She wasn't ready for this.

Nick smiled at Gabriella and moved the knife from Troys stomach over to his side. "Ready to be together again Gabi?" He turned back, still smiling viciously.

"Stop! I love you! Please! He doesn't mean anything to me, I'm telling you the truth!"

His smile turned into a frown and he shot his head toward her. "You love me?"

"I do, please..if you love me you wont kill him." Gabriella couldn't help but think of how she was ever interested in him. He was insane, a lunatic.

"I love you Gabriella...But I believe I'm the only one that loves the other in this relationship."

"No, NO!-" Nick lifted the knife and jabbed it into Troys side with full strength, but Troy didn't scream. It was more like a loud mumble, that soon faded as his body stopped moving. His eyes were still shut, and his mouth was fully closed. Gabriella stared at Troy, her insides crumbling. He was dead.


	13. Why?

"Troy! No! Please wake up!" Gabriella screamed, repeating the same words over and over. Her tears were flooding her face, and she shook the chair in anger. "Please you can't do this to me! I'm in love with you!" Gabriella heard a faint laugh coming from Nick and he whispered something she couldn't make out. Her screams drowned out his voice, but she was almost positive he told her to 'shut the fuck up.' After he spoke, he left the room and slammed the door powerfully.

"Troy!" She stared at Troy, her vision blurred. "Wake up now dammit! You can't die on me! I can't live without you!" She rocked the chair back and forth until it finally fell on the floor next to Troy. She tried to position herself so her face was positioned next to his. He wasn't the one that was supposed to die. She was. This whole thing was her fault. If he never got involved with her, if he never fell in love with her like she fell for him, she would be the one dead.

"Troy...please...I need you.." Her breath was shaky, and her tears didn't cease to stop. She squeezed her eyes tight, praying, no NEEDING, this to be a dream. "I love you...more than anything on earth."

"Brie.." Gabriellas eyes quickly opened, and her prays seemed to be answered. But it was false hope. She was still there, he was still on the floor. Gabriella thought it was her imagination until she noticed small breaths coming out of his mouth. His chest was moving up and down at a slow pace, and blood was oozing from the side of his shirt.

"Troy!" Gabriella screamed loudly and tried to release her hands. Troy opened both eyes slowly, and looked into Gabriellas teary eyes before trying to smile. As he tried, blood came out of his mouth and dripped down to the side of his face. "You'll...b-be..ok..." Troy tried to speak soothing words to her, but she knew he was having trouble. She tried to scoot closer, so she could feel his breath on her cheek and whispered softly to him "Not without you...please Troy, fight. I can't lose you."

"Chad...will...be...he...paged..." He coughed up more blood and his body twitched a bit. He closed his eyes to try to avoid the pain, but it wasn't working out well. "Gabi..."

"Troy..please.." Gabriellas tears started up again, and she shook her head in denial. "You can't die. I love you Troy..so much."

"Promise me...you'll...li-" He yelped in pain when he felt himself losing more blood. He was becoming numb, and Gabriella was slowly disappearing. "ve...your...life." He stared at her once more, his blue eyes connecting with hers. He never wanted it to end like this, but he would choose death 1 million times if it meant saving her. "I love...you...always." He tried to smile, but as he did his mouth closed and he took his last breath.

"NO! TROY!" She shook the chair once again in anger, and her tears were the only thing that could be heard in the room. She felt herself falling to sleep, not being able to cry anymore or she would surely puke. The last thing she heard was a gunshot, and the door opened revealing a familiar man.

* * *

"Gabs...Gabs...wake up." Gabriella opened her eyes slowly and saw Chad next to her, trying to smile. Where was Troy? Why wasn't he next to her?

"Chad? Where's Troy?" Gabriella panicked and sat up from the bed looking around the room when she noticed Chads expression change. "Where is he?" She went to jump off the bed but Chad quickly grabbed her and pushed her back. "Chad!"

"Gabriella, calm down!" He pushed her against the bed and she threw her arms around, trying to escape from his grasp. She shook her head, and memories of Troy flowed through her brain. "Let me go!"

"Gabriella! Dylan, help me!" Chad turned to look at the man near the door that reminded Gabriella too much of Troy. Dylan rushed over and tried to tame her, but she continued to squirm, pushing, punching and screaming.

* * *

"Is she OK now?" The blonde girl stood next to Chad, awaiting his answer.

"She's asleep, but she'll be up soon, doing the same thing as before." Chad answered, and Dylan sat down on the couch listening to their conversation.

"Did you tell her?" Dylan asked Chad, and Chad turned to face him.

"I didn't need too. She knew."

"What are we going to do?" Dylan let a tear fall down his face. This was the first time he cried since he was a little boy. And this was the first time he regretted everything that happened between him and Troy.

"I don't know anymore..." Chad turned back to Sharpay and pointed upstairs "Go keep her company?"

Sharpay nodded and left the two boys.

"How could you let this happen?" Dylan stood up, his face inches from Chad. "You let my brother die."

"What the fuck Dylan! How is this my fault? I'm just as upset as you!" Chad pushed Dylan away from his face and glanced at him.

"You should've went there with him! It should've been you!" Dylan walked away and entered the kitchen, only to come back minutes later with a knife in his hand.

"Dylan...whoa, man what are you doing?" Chad asked, backing away from the man closing in on him.

"You wanted him to die didn't you? You set this up. That's why Nick got away. Because of you!" Dylan lunged toward him, the knife pointing toward Chad. Chad quickly ducked as he swung, and shook his head. "Dylan stop! I would never let my best friend die! He was like a brother to me! Stop it!"

Dylan stood frozen, dropping the knife and staring at Chad. "How could this happen.." Dylan fell to the floor, his hands over his face, and started to sob.

Sharpay watched from the corner, her eyes widening.

* * *

"Gabi?" Sharpy knocked on the door twice and Gabriella looked up at her with tears in her eyes. Her arms were around her legs, and her whole body was shaking.

"Are you ok?" She walked further in the room and sat next to Gabriella on the bed, patting her on the back.

"How did they find us..." Gabriella choked out, shaking her head. "He's dead Sharpay...I'll never feel his kisses again...I'll never have the strength to move on. I'm broken." Gabriella sobbed into Sharpays chest, and stayed there with her eyes closed.

"Shhh...it's OK. I'm here." Sharpay rubbed Gabriellas back, and tried to give her a comforting smile. Gabriella opened her eyes to look at Sharpay, but was taken back by something she noticed. She pulled back slowly, and stared at her. "Where'd you get that?" Gabriella nodded her head toward Sharpays finger, and she crawled away from her.

"Get what?" Sharpay looked confused, and tilted her head. "What's wrong?"

"It's...you...YOU DID THIS!" Gabriella grabbed the lamp on the nightstand of Sharpays guest room, and held it up pointing it at her.

"What are you talking about Gab?" She asked, backing away from Gabriella.

"That ring. You're one of them. How could you? I trusted you! Troys dead because of you!" She screamed and Sharpay started to laugh, holding onto her stomach.

"Got me." She reached into a drawer too fast for Gabriella to react, and she pulled out a gun. "Sorry Gabriella. I don't have a choice." She aimed the gun at Gabriella, and a shot was fired.

* * *

Gabriella shut her eyes, waiting to feel the pain of the gunshot, and to finally be with Troy. She heard a mumble and opened her eyes, realizing she wasn't the one shot. Dylan and Chad were behind Sharpay as she fell to the ground with a bullet through her chest.

"Gabriella, are you OK?" Dylan ran toward her, and held onto her arms trying to wake her up from her state of shock. Chad was also walking to her while putting his gun in his belt strap.

"Gabriella?" She ignored Dylan and let herself fall to the ground. How could she be OK when Troy was dead? She would never be OK, ever again. Not unless she was dead with him.

**

* * *

Whoa right? I know you all hate me cause I killed Troy off. Don't stop reading tho! Things will make sense later. Likeeee...next chapter things will be explained! And i'm sure some people will be happyy**


	14. Let Me Die

2 hours later.

Dylan looked back at Gabriella sleeping soundlessly on the bed and he frowned. "Chad, we have to tell her."

Chad shook his head pulling Dylan out of the room. "We can't. Not after what happened with Sharpay there."

"But we knew she was one of them..Gabriella will understand everything when we tell her." Dylan turned to walk back, but Chads hand gripped his arm. "Chad, what the hell?"

"We can't tell her. At least not right now." Chad responded.

"What if she tries to kill herself? Chad, we have to tell her!" Dylan shouted in his whisper trying not to wake Gabriella.

Chad rolled his eyes "Dammit." He looked back to sleeping Gabriella and spoke quietly "We tell her when she wakes up. Together."

"Thank you." Dylan smiled and headed back to the room, stepping over the dried blood on the floor.

* * *

"Hey sleepyhead." Dylan grinned staring at Gabriella as she woke up.

"Don't call me that." She retorted, and sent him a death glare. Troy used to call her that, and she tried to hold back more tears. Tears she didn't know she still had.

"I'm sorry..." Dylan apologized but stopped her before she could respond "Come with me." He held out his hand waiting for her to take it.

"No. I'm staying here forever."

Dylan kept his hand out "You'll be happy you came with me."

"Happy? I'll be happy? HOW CAN I BE HAPPY? My best friend wanted to kill me, my fiancee tried to kill me, and the man I'm in love with, who happens to be your brother, is fucking dead! How could I be happy? How could YOU be happy?" She shouted at the top of her lungs, shaking her head. "I'll never be happy again! Get out now!"

Dylan nodded, a little taken back by her response. "I'm sorry." He headed to the hall, shutting it behind him.

* * *

Gabriella sat on the bed, trembling underneath the covers. She wanted to die. She couldn't handle this pain. Gabriella groaned when she heard a knock on the door. Why couldn't they leave her alone? "Don't fucking come in here! I don't want to talk to you! Either one of you!" She placed the covers over her head when she heard the door open. No one listened to her anyway. She felt a hand touching her head from above the covers and pulled the covers off, letting the hand fall off her.

"Get ou-" Gabriella was in the process of screaming when her heart stopped from the man next to her on the bed. She froze still, and blinked repetitively.

"Hi Brie." Troy caressed Gabriellas cheek with his thumb, making it's way to her lips.

"You aren't real." She had no trouble saying this. She's been having dreams like this since the moment he died.

"But I am. I wouldn't be able to do this if I wasn't real." Troy leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on Gabriellas puffed lip. He pulled away moments0 later, staring at Gabriellas eyes. "I'm real."

Gabriella tried to speak, but her words were choked up. She felt her lips tingling, and she touched her lips softly. "But..." She looked at Troy who was still staring at her, a smile on his lips. She reached her hand out to touch his face, and unlike the other dreams, her hands didn't go right through him. "Troy!" She jumped from the bed into his arms inches away. She held onto him tight, her chin resting on the crack of his neck. Tears were falling down her face, and for the first time they were happy tears. She felt two hands slip under her waist and hold onto her, barely moving. She wanted to stay like this forever, stay with the man whom she thought was dead.

"Ugh.."Gabriella quickly pulled back and noticed Troy wince.

"What's wrong?" She spoke, the sadness in her voice noticeable.

"My side." Gabriella completely forgot what happened the past day, and she gasped, trying not to cry.

"How are you alive?" She asked, still in denial of the situation.

"I'll explain later." The pain stopped showing in his eyes, and he huffed. "I just need you to kiss me, now."

* * *

Troy and Gabriella stayed in the room for the rest of the night, cuddling, kissing, and just being with each other. Gabriella was still confused, and still believed this was all her imagination. She saw him die. Everyone told her he was dead. Yet, here he was, alive and well.

"I'm sorry Brie..for everything. I don't know what I would've done if it was you that was in my position."

"Stop, please. Don't say that. You die-...almost died. I don't want you saying sorry." Gabriella smiled as she felt his hand cupping her cheek. She closed her eyes in his hand and soon opened them when his hand went down to her arm, softly touching it.

"What happened when you went in the room Troy?" Gabriella asked, and gently touched the bruise under his eye.

"No one was in there, I thought. But they came out of nowhere. And the next thing I remember, waking up by you."

"Oh my god..." She started tearing, but he wiped them away as they fell down.

"Baby, please don't cry. I hate seeing you hurt." Troy spoke softly "I'm sorry I made you go through this. The crying, the...everything. I love you too much.."

Gabriella smiled at the end. She missed him saying he loved her. She missed everything about him.

"Troy..how are you alive? I want you to tell me now. This is all unreal."

Troy sighed at Gabriellas question. He would have to tell her sometime. Now would have to do.

"When he stabbed me, he got the skin on the side. There was only a little damage." Troy lifted his shirt and Gabriella stared at the bandage wrapped around his body. "That guy sucks at aiming. I'm starting to think he didn't really want to kill me." Troy chuckled at his own words. He saw Gabriella wince, and he continued talking. "You thought I was dead...I was, briefly. Chad told me he got me to his friend, a doctor, and they restarted my heart. I'm not sure how it all works out, but he told me I just lost blood." Gabriella nodded and waited for him to continue. "Chad came alone to find us. He told me I must of set off the pager when I fell, because I don't remember touching it." he paused for a moment before speaking again "Everyone was gone when Chad got to us. Almost like they knew he was coming. He brought you back here, and dropped me off at his friends. Dylan found some information on Sharpay, and they set up a plan to make like I was really dead. They both knew I was fine and getting better." Gabriellas expression changed, and he could tell she was angry. "They didn't tell you, because you would freak out and not believe them."

"But...I thought you were dead! I would have been fine knowing you were OK!" She shouted, starting to cry. They all made her believe he was dead. They put her through torture.

"No..you wouldn't Brie. You wouldn't think Sharpay would lie to you."

"I love you Troy...Just hearing her name mentioned with yours would make me believe any minute." She calmed down when his hand brushed over hers.

Troy smiled at her comment "That's all there really is to tell. And now..here I am."

"You made...a fast recovery. It hasn't even been a day yet." Gabriella stated, confused.

"Guess I'm a trooper. I think you made me stronger. I needed to hold you in my arms."

"And now you can." She threw her arms around him, and pulled him in for a long lasting hug. None of this made sense..But then again, nothing with them made sense. All that mattered was that he was alive, and she would never let him go, ever again.

* * *

**Yay! He's alive! I'm pretty sure in reality, he would've stayed dead...But i couldn't let him die! He's...HES THE MAIN CHARACTER. and personalllly, my favorite. I had to think of a way to make him alive..so just go along with it. They saved him, that's all there is too it. The next few chapters are gonna be cute troyella! then we get back into the intense stuff, more intense than his death! Oh, and thanks for the reviews! it means so much to me that you like this story. Next chapter will be updated tmmrw, thank you and adios!**


	15. Being With You

Troy and Gabriella spent the entire day cuddling each other underneath the covers, not able to take their eyes of either. They both deserved it.

"What are we supposed to do?" Gabriella asked, tracing her hands lightly over his wound that was patched up.

"Go downstairs." He pulled her closer to him, resting his head on her shoulder. "Which I would rather not." He whispered, his voice husky, and she giggled softly.

"Can't we just stay here forever?" Gabriellas smile turned into a frown, and he shook his head in realization.

"I wish. Now come on, they're gonna think we're both dead." He threw the covers off and reached his hand out, waiting for her to take it. The last time she took it, he ended up 'dead'.

"Come on Brie." She stared at his hand for a moment. Of course she longed to touch his hand, but for some reason she had a hard time being able to cope with before. Even if he was in front of her, alive.

Pushing her thoughts aside, she intertwined her fingers with his, and he pulled her off the bed.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella made their way down the stairs, where two men awaited. They were both sitting on the couch, passing papers to each other. Gabriella squeezed onto Troys hand, she wasn't ready to let go. But he wanted her to be brave, and she was trying her hardest.

Troy cupped her cheek and nodded to the boys. "I wont let go." Gabriella nodded and they both carried themselves to the couch.

Dylan was the first to look up, and a bright smile formed on his face. "Troy, how are you feeling?" He stood up and walked over to Troy, trying to pull him in for a hug. It was hard considering Gabriella's grip was tight. Troy trailed his eyes to the side, trying to make him aware of their hands. "Right, come sit down. We have business to discuss." Chad smiled up at the pair and walked over to the other couch, letting the two sit together.

"Gabriella, Troy, good to see you're both better." Chad spoke, and Dylan nodded in agreement.

"Yea-"

"We're great, lets just continue." Troy spoke for Gabriella, and she looked at him gratefully. She wasn't entirely better, but she tried to be.

Chad nodded and looked over to Dylan who shot him an 'Any day now' glance. "Oh yeah, okay. So we pretty much screwed up big time at the party. Sharpay let them in on the details, and that's the reason all this shit managed to go awry." Dylan handed Troy a piece of paper, and he grabbed it with his free hand. Troy and Gabriella both studied the picture, and in unison they let out a sigh. It was a picture of them at the bar talking, they definitely knew they were there.

"Figures. She just seemed so..."

"Innocent, trustworthy." Gabriella added, and Troy moved their hands to her lap.

"I'm sorry..I forgot about you two." Troy played with her fingers, nervously. He had forgotten that she was one of the only people she could trust.

Chad spoke up, breaking up the awkward scene. "Before she um..you know.. she confirmed his death. So at the moment, they assume she's alive. But I'm sure they will get their suspicions up. We need to get out of here, really soon."

"Where are we going?" Troy asked, looking away from Gabriella over to Chad and Dylan.

"You remember Taylor right?" Troy nodded at his question. Taylor was Chads girlfriend from before he got into this business. He tried to keep her a secret from his boss, but secrets were never good with them. He kept her far away from anyone he couldn't trust, and never mentioned her name to anyone else besides Troy. She lived in a house with an older woman, kind of a roommate. If anyone wanted to get to Taylor, they would be distracted by the woman. Her purpose was to sell the idea that the house was hers, and if anyone tried to search the house, they would find no evidence of anyone living there. They were just that good.

"We're going to stay there until we figure everything out. It's the only plan right now."

Dylan and Gabriella both looked at the two with confused faces, and Troy told them he would explain once they got there. They weren't sure if it was safe enough yet.

"What are we supposed to do when...Stay hidden forever?" Gabriella looked at Troy, and tilted her head.

"First, we take down Nick." Gabriella cringed at the name, remembering all he's done. What he did to Troy, how he didn't hesitate to kill him... She wanted to be the one to kill him. "Then, we get answers from John. It's about time he explains things."

Chad smirked. Troy could tell he loved the thought of taking John down. He hated him ever since the day he recruited him. "Just get your shit ready, we'll leave in a few." Chad stood up and walked to the kitchen, Dylan following close behind.

"Troy..I have no clothes. We can leave now." Gabriella wore the same clothes for more than a week, and did not shower once. She felt like a completely different person, and hated the fact she would never live a normal life again. Even if it was with Troy, she couldn't scratch the feeling of going back to before, back to when things were okay. She just wished Troy would replace Nick in the past. Then, her life would be amazing, once again.

"Shit..I forgot about that. When we get to Taylors she'll give you some, and you can freshen up." Troy stood up, bringing her with him. He pulled her close to his chest, and she put her head on his shoulder, resting it there. "I love you Brie..I'm sorry you had to go through this.."

She looked up into his eyes, and felt a spark fly through her body. It felt like they were the only two on the planet, and she didn't mind the thought. "I love you more than anything..but don't...don't ever say sorry. This isn't your fault."

He whispered in her ear, gently rubbing her back. "But sometimes, I think it is."

* * *

The drive was two hours long, leading to a place in a suburban area, unlike where Dylan resided. It was a neighborhood like any other, big houses surrounding the area. Chad pulled up into a short driveway, a giant house in front of them. Troy looked to his lap where Gabriella was sleeping soundlessly on him. He placed his hand on her head, pushing away the hair that fell over her face. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. Even when she slept, she managed to take his breath away.

Chad stopped the car and looked over at Troy in the backseat. "Ready?"

Troy nodded and lightly shook Gabriella who let out a soft moan. He laughed and bent down to kiss her cheek. "Wake up baby." She let out another moan, and continued to sleep. "I'll be right there." Chad nodded and got out of the car with Dylan.

"Brie, come on. You can sleep inside." He shook her carefully, trying not to make her angry.

"No.." Troy sighed and opened the door, sliding himself from under Gabriella. She continued to sleep, not making any reaction to his movement. Damn, she was a heavy sleeper. He picked her up from the seat, and carried her to the house, bridal style.

"Sleep with me..." She managed to speak in between, and her eyes opened halfway.

"You need your rest. I can't be a distraction." He laughed and kicked on the door, letting out a knock.

"You...won't b-" She fell back to sleep, unable to complete her sentence. He chuckled and when Chad opened the door, he walked inside. He placed her gently on the sofa in the living room right when you entered, and pulled the blanket over her body.

"Come on Troy, Dylan will watch her. We need to talk to Taylor." Troy nodded and watched Dylan take a seat near Gabriella before leaving off with Chad.

* * *

Chad knocked on the wooden door three times, taking a break to knock once more. After a few minutes the door opened to reveal a petite, chocolate colored girl, who had a bright smile on her face. She lunged for Chad and threw her legs around his waist. Troy smiled and let them have their moment. He looked around the room that was located behind one of those bookshelves, like in the movies. It was sort of a secret passage way that led to a long hallway. She spent most of her time in there, but she still got out occasionally. It wasn't like she was trapped in here, she just took some precautions.

"I missed you Tay." Chad spoke to Taylor, who was back on her feet. She replied with the same answer and turned her attention to Troy. "Come here Troy!"

Troy laughed and Taylor hugged him tightly. The last time he saw her was when they hid her in this place. He couldn't deny the good friendship they had after Chad introduced them. She was someone they could trust, he was well aware of that.

"Good to see you Taylor." He exclaimed as she closed the door behind her.

"How about I meet the girl that got you into all this trouble, hm?" She questioned before walking down the hall, and Troy followed behind.

* * *

"Brie..This is Taylor." Troy put his arm around Gabriellas waist, pulling her in closer. She was just violently woken up by a pillow being thrown at her face by Dylan. She just wanted to keep sleeping.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella." Gabriella held her hand out for Taylor to shake, and tried to smile even if she was half asleep.

"Oh, I know." Taylor replied coldly, but shook her hand and smiled. Odd.

"Be nice Taylor." Gabriella looked at Chad who was facing Taylor and Taylor mouthed 'what did I do?' Even if this girl was being a total bitch, Gabriella needed a girl around to hang with. Taylor would probably be nicer if she got to know her, she was sure.

"Well, we're going to go upstairs, Gabriella's tired." Troy added, breaking the silence. Chad nodded and brought Taylor to the living room, and Dylan went into the kitchen, probably getting something to eat.

"You still tired?" Troy looked at Gabriella who was falling to sleep. He chuckled and pointed to his back. "Hop on."

"Thank you lord." She jumped on, letting her head rest on his back.

* * *

"She seems...nice." Gabriella sat on the bed, getting ready to fall back to sleep. She patted the area next to her, and Troy made his way over.

"She is, I promise. She just doesn't know much about you. Not like I do." He pulled the covers over them, and laid down next to her.

"I believe you." Gabriella turned to Troy, and smiled at the view. "After we sleep, can I take a shower?"

"You don't have to ask Gabs." He laughed and pulled her hand toward him, soon closing the gap between them.

"I know...but..." Troys eyebrow rose, and he stared at her in confusion. "Are you saying...?"

"Mhm." She giggled and he hopped off the bed.

"Why not now? Who needs sleep. We can sleep after." He stood frozen by the bed and stared at her, waiting for her response.

"You got yourself a deal." Her giggles turned into a laughing frenzy when she watched him struggle to get out of his clothes. He quickly pulled off his pants, followed by his shirt, and waited by the bathroom door. "Before the day is over Gabriella!" He spoke like a child in need of his mommy, but Gabriella was too focused on his body. She was staring intently at it, cherishing all he had to offer. It's been a while since she got to see him, alive. She looked over his bandage wrapped around his body, and slightly winced in pain.

"Go turn the water on then, I'll be right there." She pointed toward the bathroom, and he ran like lightening. Thank god he didn't notice her pain. She was still trying to cope with before, even if she kept telling herself things were OK. She loved this moment. She just wanted everything like right now. Perfect. Her attention was focused on the bathroom, when she heard the water running, and a yell coming from Troy. All that mattered was right now, and her man was awaiting her.

* * *

"Feel better?" Troy asked, slipping on his boxers. He watched closely as she pulled his black shirt over her body, memorizing each curve. How was it possible to have a goddess standing in front of him? He thought those were only myths.

"Much better." She giggled and jumped on the bed, letting herself sink in. He laid down next to her, and looked up at the ceiling.

"I would say so too." He turned to her and winked, smirking to himself. She punched his chest lightly and laughed. "Perv."

"Hey, you love it." He joked, and she nodded.

"Troy.." She stated, but it came out more like a question.

"Yeah babe?"

"Will things get better?" She wanted this moment to last, but she needed to know. She needed to know if things would be like this more often, or if it was all a fantasy.

"I don't know...But listen. How about we focus on right now? We have time."

"How long?" She asked, grabbing onto his hand.

"In two days..we're going to look for them. So right now, lets forget about all the worries. Lets just be..together."

"But..."

"Promise me you'll forget. I want to make these two days count. Who knows what will happen in the future."

She nodded and turned over to face the other side. He pulled her closer to him and he wrapped his hands around her. She let herself fall to sleep, and kept thinking about what he said. That was exactly what she was worried about, the future.


	16. Last Night Together

"You hungry?" Troy asked Gabriella, who was staring off into space. He could tell she was thinking, and thinking pretty hard. She didn't seem to notice Troys words. "Brie."

"Hm..what? What did you say?" Gabriella responded, turning her attention to him.

"Are you okay? I thought things were going to be different."

Gabriella shook her head in disbelief. "Can you really expect me to be all happy right now? Troy...I know you don't want to hear it..But you almost died! I can't move on from that. As much as you want me too.." She started to yell, letting all her thoughts out. Since the little discussion they had before, she's been trying to make it seem like she was fine. Apparently, she's transparent.

"Brie..Please. I'm here. With you. That's all that matters. Just-"

"I'm trying Troy, I really am." Gabriella sniffled a little, feeling two hands pull her closer to the other side of the bed. He whispered lightly in her ear, and she shivered. "I know, that's all I ask. No more talking about it right now." Gabriella responded with a nod and nuzzled into his chest.

"Lets eat." Troy spoke into her hair, his voice sounding like a mumble.

"Of course you're hungry. When are you not?" Gabriella giggled, the first giggle in a while. This time, it was real.

* * *

"Where is everyone?" Gabriella asked before placing her microwavable pizza down on her plate. Troy stuffed the rest of his in his mouth, and wiped the remaining sauce that was on his face.

"I donth khnow." Troy answered, still chewing.

"Swallow you idiot." Gabriella laughed again and he sent her a death glare before looking down at her plate. He quickly swallowed and pointed to her half eaten pizza.

"Finish it. I know you're hungry." He genuinely looked worried.

"I'm really not that hungry right now..Maybe later okay?" Troy sighed, he knew this would lead to a fight about before if he answered back. So he just grabbed the pizza, and stuffed it in his mouth.

After he was done, and after Gabriella finished laughing at Troy, they both headed off to the backyard.

"Should we be worried?"

"Nah, I'm sure they just went to get more food."

"Mhmmm." She laughed. Why are guys such pigs? But yet this one manages to stay fit.

"Come on, I spot a pool." Troy made his way to the in-ground pool that was sparkling blue, probably recently cleaned. It was huge, much bigger than it needed to be. But it was an understatement to the rest of the yard, which was bigger than a golf course. Not a mini one.

"Troyyyy no. I don't wanna. Let's just relax." She whined as he yanked on her arm, pulling her toward the pool. "You're gonna get your bandage wet and you just ate!"

"Brie, stop acting like a little kid! Live a little!" Gabriella pouted at those words. He was usually the uptight one, but now..she was worse. This was their last day together before things got rocky. Maybe a little fun was all they needed. Besides, they had all day to do fun things. She might not experience these moments in the future, so for now, she was going to push her negative thoughts aside.

"Only if you...go skinny dipping." Gabriella joked, and Troys eyes lit up.

"Whoa...I'm shocked Brie. I never took you for that kind of girl." She giggled at his response but pointed her finger at him when he closed in on her. "I said you. Not me."

"Are you serious? You wanted to make me do it alone, didn't you? Do it with me!" He asked and looked pretty upset. He stopped dead in his tracks, and stood there frozen, his hands across his chest.

"Depends if I like what I see." She winked, biting on her lip. "Go on now."

He took a few minutes to think before pulling his shirt over his head. He kept shaking his head and chuckling to himself. Whipped. Definitely whipped. He pulled his pants down, staring at her. He didn't move. "Now you get to see I'm skinny, so your turn."

"Nuhuh. All of it." She pointed at the boxers, and laughed quietly.

He groaned to himself and pulled them down, placing his hand over his area. Gabriella grunted, and fake coughed. He didn't let her see. Ass. "Remove those things you call hands." She watched closely, feeling her stomach turn. He was walking backwards toward the pool, but she was too focused on his hands. He was slowly pulling them away, but not before he fell backwards into the pool, his hands still cupped over his area.

"Troy! You dick!" Gabriella yelled, and stomped her foot. He was beating her at her own game.

"I'm in the pool, naked. You never said where I had to undress. Did you now?" He laughed to himself and floated around the pool, motioning her to come to him. "Join me. It's big enough."

Gabriella gulped at his last words. Yup, definitely big enough. And she wasn't talking about the pool.

She ignored his gestures and stood there, still pouting. "No, you're an asshole."

"Brie..." He whined and splashed the water. "Get in here!"

Gabriella faced that as her winning, and she laughed hard, holding her hand over her stomach. "Just cause you're cute." She took her clothes off, but kept her bra and underwear on. She made a cannonball into the pool and came up for air.

"I thought we were skinny dipping?" Troy asked, swimming closer as she swan to the side.

"And I thought I'd let you remove the clothes for me." She giggled at his facial expression, and bit down on her lip. She felt her back hit against the wall, and he put both hands on either side of her. He gently kissed the side of her neck, and her eyes closed. She moaned in pleasure, and felt his hands around her waist, squeezing her softly. He slid them up to her chest, and cupped her breast underneath her bra. Troy quickly swam away from her when he heard a gate open, and he turned his attention to the backdoor.

"Oh god..." Taylor looked at the couple, and noticed the clothes scattered on the concrete. She placed her hand over her mouth and ran back inside without saying another word.

"Fuck.." Troy exclaimed and looked back at Gabriella who was already out of the pool, searching for her clothes. "Such a cock block.." He mumbled under his breath, and Gabriella looked at him with a shocked expression.

"Troy! Shut up right now!" She quickly put her clothes on, the water seeping through. She didn't care at the moment, there were more important matters. Like how the girl who hated her just interrupted an intense moment. Ugh, the embarrassment.

"Brie, calm down. She'll be fine." He laughed and swam to the edge where the steps were, and walked out.

"I can't, she just-" Gabriella turned her face from the house to Troy, and stared at him, her mouth still open. He was still naked. Very much naked.

"Like what you see?" He joked and put his boxers on while grabbing the rest of his clothes and holding them in his hand.

"Just...don't speak." She huffed and waited for him to make his way inside.

"Whatever you say babe." He walked next to her, grabbing her hand. She tried to move hers away, but he was too quick. She was trying to be mad at him! Which was clearly not working. "Just remember, you had the bright idea to go in naked. I was fine just taking a swim." He winked, she groaned. She clutched onto his hand and followed him inside. He was right, she was to blame for.

"Ass.."

* * *

"She probably hates me more now! If that's even possible!" Gabriella whined, watching Troy put a new bandage around his waist. She winced slightly when she saw the mark that was hidden underneath. It was a long line, stitched neatly. It looked painful, but not as painful as her thoughts.

"Gabriella, breathe. She barely saw anything." He turned away from the mirror and walked to the bed where Gabriella was seated. "Taylors staying at a hotel tonight, so you don't have to worry about seeing her."

Gabriella nodded and Troy pulled her closer to him. "What if she told Chad? Or Dylan?"

Troy chuckled and placed his hand on her thigh, caressing it. "Oh I know she did. They wont look at you any different. You have needs, and they are well aware I do." Gabriella punched him lightly on the arm and gasped. She fell back against the pillow and let out a sigh. "Great."

"You're so cute when you're embarrassed." Gabriella blushed and looked away. Why did he always make her blush?

"Shut up." She giggled and looked over at the clock on the nightstand. "It's almost 4."

Troys eyes widened and he replied "Already? We only went out at 1."

"Guess time flies by." She laughed again and snuggled with him, placing her head on his bare chest.

"What do you want to do now? Chad's out with Taylor, and Dylans sleeping in the living room." He kissed Gabriella in her hair, and she pulled him closer, if even possible. "We could continue from before.." He asked huskily in her ear, and she let out a giggle.

"Go lock the door."

* * *

After their little session, they both slept for a little. They both needed energy for tomorrow, and they definitely needed more sleep. They slept close together for hours, sometimes waking up and just speaking comforting words. This was their last night together. They wanted to be close, in anyway possible. And before they knew it, they woke up to the sun shinning. It was the day. They were both nervous, hands trembling underneath the covers. No training could prepare them for this day. Emotionally, or physically.


	17. It Begins

"Chad wants to go get a few things, so I told him I'd go with him. I'll be back soon, alright?" Troy said, putting his sneakers on at the edge of the bed. Gabriella came around and wrapped her hands around his waist, leaning her head on him. "When did you talk to Chad?"

"You were sleeping. I didn't want to wake you." He answered, and finished putting on his other shoe.

"Taylor will be here, you can talk girl shit with her." Gabriella went to speak, but he interrupted her "Just not about me."

She giggled against his shoulder "I thought she was staying at a hotel?" She asked, and started playing with strands of his hair.

"Since we're gonna be leaving, she decided to come back. You'll be fine. She's nice, I promise." Gabriella sighed, and he brought her around to face him. His hands held onto her arms, and he stared at her, smiling. "When I get back, we'll talk about tonight. I need you to be ready. I don't want you to get hurt." He stopped and looked to the floor, releasing his grip. "You weren't supposed to go.."

"Troy, stop." Gabriella lifted his chin up and smiled reassuringly "I'm not letting you go without me. This isn't anything to discuss about. I'm going. Okay?" He nodded and pecked his lips on hers quickly before she pushed him near the door. "Now go, and be careful."

* * *

Troy left an hour ago, and he promised to be back in at least 3 hours. Gabriella could feel worry in her stomach for Troy. Every time he was away, she worried. She loved him more than anything, even if they met a few weeks ago. He was her soul mate, and she was positive. She smiled at the image of him in her mind, and continued walking down the steps. She walked in the living room and noticed a girl on the couch, watching TV. The girl looked behind her at Gabriella and smiled. That was definitely not a real one. Bitch.

"H-Hey." Gabriella stuttered, and walked closer to the girl. She smiled when the girl moved over to let her get on the couch.

"You alright? You look pale." She asked, and Gabriella nodded.

"Just a little worried."

The girl laughed "I wouldn't be worried. They can handle themselves." Ha. Sure. Troy obviously didn't handle himself when he was almost killed.

"When did you meet Chad? I mean, you guys look like you're together.." Gabriella asked, and Taylor looked down at her hands.

"We are." She looked back up and slightly smiled. "We met in high school..Before you know, all this. I fell in love with him."

"Aren't you worried for him when he does this?"

Taylor nodded "Always. But I know he'll be fine. He's stronger than anyone I've met. Besides Troy, I mean. He's alive isnt he?"

"I know..it's just." Gabriella looked at Taylor, and tears started flowing. "You guys are all so much better at this than me."

Taylor shook her head and scooted closer, opening her arms for a hug. Wow, she was actually being nice. It wasn't like she was really mean in the first place, she just seemed to not like Gabriella. Guess she was wrong.

"Hey, hey. I didn't sign up for this either. I never knew this would happen. Gabriella, you just have to have hope. They don't want this, and trust me, they are trying everything to get out."

Gabriella nodded in Taylors arms and smiled. "Thank you Taylor, I needed a friend."

Gabriella and Taylor exchanged stories for the next hour until the boys returned. They both really connected, and were becoming close already. Taylor was someone Gabriella could lean on when Troy wasn't around. Especially later on tonight. Taylor agreed to come with Dylan and monitor how things were going. Taylor had her back, and that's all she needed.

"Was that them?" Gabriella asked Taylor, and quickly glanced to the side where the wall was blocking the entrance. Taylor nodded and stood up, helping Gabriella off the couch. Gabriella smiled when she saw the three boys, her eyes on one in particular. He looked the same as before, but he had a few bags in his hand. He smiled brightly at her and she ran to him, wrapping her legs around his waist. They both ignored the bags dropping to the floor and Troy held tight onto Gabriella. He placed his lips on hers, and they went into a little make out session before Chad coughed.

"Dammit.." Troy pulled away and set Gabriella down. She groaned and he chuckled at her.

"Everyone ready?" Chad walked to the couch, everyone but Gabriella and Troy following behind.

"Are you?" Troy looked at Gabriella, and he put his hand on her cheek, tracing her skin. She nodded in his palm, and he started walking over. She walked behind him, and held onto his hand.

Everyone sat down around the coffee table and Chad emptied the bags containing guns, rope, earpieces to contact each other, and other supplies. Gabriellas eyes widened. Where the hell did they get all this?

"Our best bet is too get inside Johns house and bring him back to Dylans shack. Taylor, Dylan, and I will watch him while you two handle Nick." Chad looked over at Gabriella and Troy, and Gabriella gulped. She was nervous, but she wanted the man dead. Whatever it took.

"Taylor and Dylan will stay in the car parked not to far from his house, and we will do as planned. They'll make sure no one gets out, or inside. John already has many guards protecting his home, so it might be hard to get inside. I'm sure we can do it." Everyone nodded and Troy opened his mouth to speak, before Chad could continue.

"I want Gabriella to stay with Taylor and Dylan" Gabriella quickly looked at Troy and shook her head.

"No Troy, we agreed to this!"

"I agreed to let you go with me to get Nick, but not this. There's no reason you need to get involved. It's too dangerous. You'll stay with them, and me and Chad will go inside."

"Are you crazy? You two can't go against that many people!" Gabriella yelled, everyone watching her. She didn't care, she was too focused on Troy.

"It'll be the same if you were with us! This way Dylan can protect you. Things will be done quicker." Troy held his hand up to stop her from talking, but she pushed it away roughly.

"I don't care. I wanna go with you!"

"Brie, you barely know how to handle a gun! It's better this way!" He was right. She didn't know much. Yesterday he taught her how to shoot, but even with that experience she had a hard time with it. She slouched against the couch and nodded.

"Whatever." She scoffed and turned away from his glance.

"I'll be fine. I just need to know you will be too..Don't be mad." She continued to ignore him, and he sighed. Everyone's mouth was open, and they quickly closed it when Troy looked at them.

"Continue." Troy spoke, glaring at everyone.

* * *

"I'm sorry about before..You were right. I would probably get killed on the spot. I don't know much about this." Gabriella looked over at Troy who was seated on the other side of the car. In between them was Dylan, and in front were Taylor and Chad. Chad was driving the car listening to music, and everyone else was sleeping. It was an hour drive, and they would be there any second. Gabriella couldn't let Troy go in there mad. He would be distracted, and she didn't want that.

"I know I was." He stated, still staring at the window. "I love you. I don't want you hurt. I can handle this. Before was just a surprise attack. It wont be them doing that this time." He looked over at Gabriella and a grin swept across his face.

"Promise me you'll be back here.." Gabriella reached her hand over to his, trying not to wake Dylan.

He grabbed her hand lightly and nodded. "I love you Troy."

* * *

5 minutes later they arrived a block away from the house, that she could see from there. It was huge. With a gate and everything. Probably cameras. Oh god.

"Don't leave this car. Alright?" Chad kissed Taylor on the lips and stepped out of the car. Dylan and Gabriella nodded, and Troy opened the door. He stepped out and closed it behind him, before walking over to Gabriellas side of the car. She rolled down the window, and smiled up at him.

"I love you. Be careful." She said, and he bent down to kiss her. It was a quick simple kiss, but it was enough to make Gabriella's lips tingle.

"I love you more. Be back soon." God, she hoped.

"Kick some ass." She said, and they both laughed. He had two guns in his belt loop, and zipped up his jacket over his white shirt. He put the earpiece in and winked at Gabriella. She smiled and he started walking with Chad down the block.

"Don't worry Gabi." Dylan told her, and she leaned on his shoulder, putting her earpiece in as well. Everyone had an earpiece linked to Troy and Chad, and they waited for a response. Taylor gave her a comforting smile, and Gabriella smiled back. It was gonna be a long night.

* * *

Troy and Chad bent down near the bush tree, and made signals with their guns. Troy quickly crawled over to the side, and looked at the gate. Two guards in front of the gate. All they had to was get past them. Not hard at all. Ha.

"How do we get past them?" Troy whispered, looking back at Chad. Chad nodded his heads toward the side where the giant wall was. Great. He followed Chad and they both climbed up the wall and hopped over. Easy part was over, and now awaited all of the men inside. Troy pressed a button on his earpiece and turned it on. He whispered "We're over the gate."

* * *

Gabriella jumped from her position and smiled. She loved to hear his voice. And he was okay, for now.

"Be careful." She spoke into the mic, and heard him respond with a silent laugh. She decided to be quiet in case someone could hear where Troy was. Taylor looked to the backseat and smiled too. She must've heard Chad. Gabriella leaned back against the seat and waited once again for him to speak.

* * *

Troy pressed the button again, and turned it off. Chad went the opposite way to the back, and Troy kept walking in the front. He hid behind the bushes every time he got the chance. He wasn't going to blow this. He slowly pulled his gun up and aimed it at a man in front of the door. Did these men just stand here all night? He quickly pulled the trigger, and a silent bullet went through the mans leg, and he fell to the floor. Troy smiled victoriously and crawled over to the man, pulling him away from the door.

A few minutes later Troy walked back to the door, clothed in the mans attire. It was rather odd John made his security actually wear security outfits. He pulled the hat further down over his face, and placed his gun in his belt. He heard Chads voice in his ear, and smiled. He walked inside the house, and closed the door behind him. They were in.

"Carlson?" Troy looked up at the man who was speaking to him, and he looked back down at the name tag. Shit.

"Um.." Without thinking Troy quickly knocked the man out with his gun, and cursed at himself. Way to play it cool Troy. He pulled the man to the side and threw him in the closet. He closed to the door and looked around the enormous room. Where was everybody? He shook his head and walked toward the stairs. This wasn't the first time he was at this house, he was probably here everyday. Most of the time this place was packed with guards. It wasn't like there wasn't a lot of people here today, there was. There was just normally more. Troy ignored the feeling and walked up the stairs to a room he knew very well. There we go. He passed a few guards in front of every room, and kept his head down. He felt a hand push him back, but he kept his head down.

"Where the hell are you going? Boss didn't call you up here." Troy was about to speak when there were shots heard from downstairs. Nice timing Chad. The man ran past Troy, followed by about 10 others. He pulled the hat off and threw it on the floor. John was powerful, hence all the guards. He probably had like 100 in his room. Troy stood in front of the door and took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing." Troy pushed the door open, and the first thing he noticed was a man in sitting at his desk.

"Where was the sound fro-" The man looked up at Troy, and stopped when he saw him.

"You know, it wasn't that hard to get to you. I thought a man like you should have way more guards. Guess I really don't know much about you." Troy smirked, and the man sat there in shock.

"Aren't you happy to see me?" Troy closed the door behind him and locked it. Troy stopped smiling when the man started laughing, and he stood up from his chair.

"It took you long enough."

"You expected me? Where's your guards then?" Troy asked, and he reached for his gun.

"Dealing with...let me guess, Chad? You two are causing a lot of trouble these days."

Troy held up his gun, and motioned it toward his head. "John, I don't give a shit what we're causing. How about you tell me what's going on?"

John laughed again and walked closer to Troy, shaking his head. "Remember, I taught you how to use that. I wouldn't go around shooting if I was you."

"Yeah? Well you're not me. So shut the fuck up and tell me why you wanted Gabriella."

"Oh..Gabriella. She's still alive, huh. Give her my blessings. She's gonna be in for a ride." John took a step closer, and Troy held his gun tighter.

"Don't." Troy said, and John smirked.

"Excuse my manners. How are you doing Troy? Hows your side?" John chuckled and anger built up inside Troy. He clenched his teeth and squeezed his gun in anger. "I never thought you would betray me Troy. I took you in. And you repay me with this?" Troy had enough. He lunged at John and knocked him to the ground. He dropped his gun to the side, and his hands balled into fists. He punched at Johns face several times, blood shooting out of his mouth. He couldn't control himself. He tried to stop, but his body took over. He suddenly stopped when he heard a voice on the earpiece. He heard Gabriellas calming voice, asking him if he was okay. She couldn't hear him on the other side, but he heard her. He pushed himself off John, who was barely breathing. He was over on his side, coughing. Troy looked back at the door when he heard knocking and Chad telling him to open the door. He sounded out of breath. Troy walked over to the door, unlocked it, and looked at Chad in front of him. Chads eyes were focused on the man behind Troy, and he quickly ran over to him.

"Troy dammit. We need him alive." Chad put a cloth over Johns mouth, and in an instant he was wiped out.

"I-I..." Troy couldn't make up an excuse this time. If he didn't hear Gabriellas voice, he would've killed him.

"They're all down, it's clear." Chad exclaimed, and Troy helped pick John up. He promised himself to behave until back at the house. He wasn't going to blow his chance to get answers.

"All of them?" Troy finally spoke, and Chad nodded.

Troy and Chad carried John down the stairs, Troy 'accidentally' bumping him into the wall. He looked around, bodies on the floor everywhere. Damn. He must've been way too distracted to hear all the gunshots. Boy did Chad know how to handle a gun.

"I told Taylor to bring the car around, they should be out front. I opened the gate before." Chad said, and looked over at Troy, who was having a hard time looking at John. "I'll bring John to the car, it's easier if I just hold him."

Troy nodded and Chad walked to the door with John, opening it with his foot. Troy followed and heard a cough behind him. He turned around and one of the men on the floor was hunched over, reaching for a gun. Troy quickly pulled his gun out, and held it at the man. Before he could pull the trigger two shots were fired, and Troy stumbled backward. As he fell, Troy pushed hard on his trigger, and a bullet went into the mans head.

"Troy!" Chad dropped John and rushed over to Troy, who fell to the floor. Chad caught him, gripping onto his shoulders. Troy held onto his arm and felt a jolt of pain. Blood was seeping through the cracks in his fingers, and through the security guard shirt. "Troy, are you okay?" Chad screamed in Troys ear, and Troy responded with a nod. He dragged him out of the house, ignoring John that was asleep on the ground. Dylan was running up to them, a weird look on his face.

"What happened?" Dylan stopped at Chad and Troy, and looked at his non-blood brother.

"He was shot, I got him. Go get John." Dylan stood frozen, but shook himself and ran past them to the man.

"Keep pressure on it." Chad said, and Troy nodded again. They both walked side by side, Chad balancing Troy. Troy looked ahead at the car, a few feet away. When they got there Chad opened the back door, and Gabriella quickly looked up, her eyes widened.

"Oh god no Troy!" Gabriella covered her mouth, and moved aside so Troy could sit down.

"I'm fine, I promise. It's just my shoulder." Troy said, and Gabriella felt a sigh of relief. He would be fine. A gunshot to his arm wouldn't hurt him, he was like superman.

"Let me see it." She still couldn't help but worry.

"Brie, stop. I'm OK. We'll worry about it when we get to the house."

Gabriella shook her head, and studied Troy, looking to make sure he was okay. She gasped when she saw a bullet hole right on his stomach.

"Troy!" He looked down to where she was looking and his eyes widened. He used his other hand to rip the shirt open by the buttons, and looked down at his stomach. He hadn't noticed that he was shot twice. He lifted his undershirt to reveal a bulletproof vest, and she tilted her head back.

"Thank god."

* * *

"Stop flinching!" She set the alcohol down on the nightstand and picked up the bandage. "You're gonna be covered in these if you keep getting hurt."

He chuckled lightly and watched Gabriella take care of him. "You're getting stronger."

"What?" She looked at her arms, and looked back at him confused.

"I meant with all this, idiot." He pointed at his wounds and laughed again. She giggled. "Oh."

"I'm proud of you." He said, smiling at her.

"If you get hurt one more time, I don't know if I can be strong. You almost died, again." She sighed, and wrapped the bandage around his left arm.

"No I didn't. Arms don't count." He retorted, grinning.

"What about your stomach? Hm?" She asked, and he frowned.

"Doesn't count either."

"Yes it does! Troy stop it! I don't need you dying on me! What if you aren't as lucky next time?" She felt her eyes water, but she tried to hold it back.

"There wont be a next time. I think I've had enough pain, don't you?" He smiled trying to make her smile too, but she kept pouting. "Hey I love you okay? I'm not leaving you. No wounds are strong enough to make me leave you. I promise."

She nodded, and stopped fighting. She let a tear fall and fell against his body. He held onto her tightly, and more tears started forming. God, she hated to cry. "I love you too..so much."

"Sorry to interrupt, but its time to go." The pair looked up at Dylan standing at the doorway, and Troy nodded. Dylan left the room and Troy looked down at Gabriella.

"You can stay if you wan-"

"I'm not leaving your side." Gabriella spoke, not letting him finish. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and his hand found its way to her waist, pulling her closer to him. If only things could always be like this. But it was bad to want things that were impossible.

* * *

**Alrighty, my longest one! I know i keep hurting Troy and stufff, but he wont die, i promise! So yeah, this story isn't all that realistic. But thats why its fiction right? (; Theres still a lot more chapterss, and A LOT more surprises. Just keep reading ;D **


	18. Empty

"When are we going?" Gabriella asked as she watched Troy throw his shirt over his body. Like before, he had a bullet proof vest under his black shirt, and finished it off with a black jacket. He turned to face Gabriella and threw a pocket knife on the bed.

"Soon. And put that in your back pocket." He motioned toward the knife, and Gabriella nodded. She was wearing a long sleeved black shirt, and dark denim jeans. She wanted to seem like bad-ass criminals, so she suggested the whole black thing. She lifted her butt off the bed, putting the knife in her pocket, and slumped back down.

"What about Taylor, Chad and Dylan? Where are they?" Gabriella looked at Troy, waiting for him to answer. He put two guns in his belt, and a knife in his denim pocket as well.

"With John at the shack. They said we could go later. I don't really care about him now." Troy said. Gabriella smiled back at him. He didn't want to bother with the man he grew up with, he just wanted to deal with the man that ruined Gabriellas life.

"Alright." She exclaimed, and put her hair up in a ponytail. She let her bangs fall directly above her eyes instead of parting them to the side like usual. Troy grinned as he watched her, and she sat there, confused. "What?"

He continued to grin, walking closer by her. "You're just so beautiful. Especially dressed in black." She moved her hands away from her hair, and dropped them on the bed. Her cheeks turned a faint pink color, and he held out his hands for her to grab.

"You're not so bad yourself mister." She giggled and grabbed his hands allowing him to pick her up off the bed. They both stood in front of each other, and he pulled her closer to him. She leaned up to kiss him, and he gently pressed their lips together in a slow moving kiss. He gripped onto her side, while she threw her arms around his neck. He pulled back a few minutes later, and stared into her eyes. She smiled at him, their eyes still looking deeply into the other.

"I love you." She mentioned, and he smiled back at her, bringing his hand up to her cheek and cupping it. He pulled her into a long hug, and they both wrapped their arms around each other.

"I love you too, Brie." He placed a gentle kiss on her neck, and pulled back to look at her again. "I know you're scared about later. But I'll be there to protect you. I won't let anything happen. You realize how much you mean to me?"

She slowly nodded, feeling tears build up. "I know you'll protect me Troy. I'm not worried about me. He almost killed you last time. I wont forgive myself if he actually gets the chance too this time."

He shook his head and whispered in her ear. "I'm not leaving you. Ever."

A single tear fell down her face, making it's way to her neck. She was glad he wasn't able to see her. She just wanted him to think she could do this. She didn't want him having second thoughts. "Maybe we should go now. I wanna get this over with."

They both pulled away from each other and he grabbed her hand, placing it in his. He pulled her out of the room and into the hall. Soon they were in the car, driving away from the place that actually felt like home to her. She didn't know what was to come soon, she didn't even know if she would live through it. All that mattered was her and Troy. They were together, both willing to risk their lives for the other. Gabriella looked at Troy driving, both of his hands on the wheel, and both eyes focusing on the road. She hesitantly reached over for his hand and pulled it onto her lap. He looked over at her flashing a grin, before looking back at the road. He squeezed her hand lightly and she giggled to herself.

"Troy?" Gabriella asked a few minutes later, trying to break the silence. It wasn't like an awkward silence, there really was not wrong with it. She just wanted to hear his voice. It made her less nervous.

"Hm?" He said, feeling her fingers brush over his hand placed on her lap.

"How do you know where he is? I would be out of the country by now."

"Brie, don't worry about it. Chad looked into it."

"So you can find out where people are at all times, but you can't find out what's going on? I'm still not understanding why I'm in this." Her voice was a little shaky, and he could tell. He placed his hand over hers to stop her from moving them. Her hand was freezing.

"I don't have the answers, yet. We'll figure it all out later." He exclaimed, and he saw her nod from the corner of his eye. He hoped there would be a later.

* * *

"This is it? It doesn't look like much." Gabriella said, staring at the house outside. She rolled her window down to get a better view, and laughed quietly.

"What?" Troy asked, looking at her weirdly. She kept laughing, shaking her head in amusement. "I'm just imagining chopping his balls off."

Troy couldn't help but laugh at her joke. He smirked at her and she took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "We're not chopping his balls off."

"Why not? You said you didn't want him dead. At least let me have fun." Troy told her not to do anything brave, like trying to kill him. He was aware she hated Nick more than anything, but they needed answers. This was one of the only options left.

"No, Brie. I told you what to do. We knock him out, and bring him back. No buts."

She sighed and nodded. "Whatever you say."

"I'm serious. If you try anything, I'll kick your pretty little ass." Troy laughed at his own comment and stared at the house while she looked at him, giggling as well.

"Don't try anything either Troy. We get out of here alive." His face tensed a little bit and she suddenly felt worried. The joking was good for a while, but it couldn't last. Not with everything that's happening.

Troy climbed over, but not completely, and reached in the back for something. Gabriella looked at his body, his shirt was riding up a little. She gulped and quickly turned back to look at the house. It was dark at night, and they were parked pretty far away. The house was big enough to notice, but from inside, no one would realize they were there. Unless they had binoculars or something.

"What are you doing?" She asked, but wasn't looking at him. She could tell he was still searching.

"Hold on." He mumbled and she waited until he told her he was ready to look back at him. She was having inappropriate thoughts at a time like this. She's been too worried to enjoy his company. Dumb her.

"Got it." She turned to face him when she heard his voice, and starting giggling. He was wearing a black ski mask, covering his whole face. Damn, he still looked sexy.

"What are you doing Troy?" She kept giggling, trying to hold in her laughter.

"You wanted to be criminals. So you can't forget these." He reached over to her hair and pulled her hair out of her ponytail. She was still giggling as he placed the mask over her head. Her bangs were over her eyes, blocking her view. Her mask wasn't fully pulled down, because there wasn't an opening for the mouth, but his was. Whoever made the masks are idiots.

"Troy!" She stopped giggling, but was continuing to smile. She pushed her hair aside in the mask, and finally saw Troy.

"You look sexy." He said huskily, and she got chills from his voice. Even though he was mumbling underneath the mask, she could still understand what he was saying.

"You can't even tell I'm a girl!" She yelled quietly, and she could tell he was grinning under the mask. His eyes were traveling down more to her shirt where her cleavage was exposed. She looked at him for a while before placing her hands over her chest. "Troy!"

"What? You said I can't tell if you're a girl. Clearly I can." He pointed to her now covered chest and she scoffed.

"Ass. I know you're smirking under there. I can tell by your eyes." She ignored his laughs and put the black jacket that she was sitting on, over her body. She was about to zip it up when a hand stopped her.

"I like the view." He laughed again, and she smacked his hand away. She zipped it up halfway, trying to be nice to Troy.

"How do you walk in those? " He pointed to her boots, and she laughed. She was wearing black boots with heels, something she used to wear a lot when she was 'normal'.

"Easy peasy." She answered, and he shrugged. "Now are you ready? I can't look at you without laughing." She giggled and he mumbled something she couldn't hear.

"Lets go. Stay close." The fun was over. Now it was time to be serious.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella were standing on either side of the door, and she was waiting for him to send her some kind of signal.

"Troy!" She whispered, and he put his finger over his mask, where it would normally be his mouth. He slowly walked in front of the door and knocked on it once before going back into position. If he answered the door, it would at least give him a chance to grab him. He thought it was better than a surprise attack. Gabriella stood impatiently, tapping her foot silently. Her heart stopped when she heard the door open, and she couldn't bring herself to look if it was him. She heard a bang, and quickly glanced to the side.

"Who's that?" Gabriella whispered once again, looking at the body on the floor. Troy looked at her and shurgged his shoulders.

"There goes that plan." He mumbled, walking inside the house. He stepped over the body and quickly put his hand up to stop Gabriella from walking with him. She groaned at his action and he shook his head at her.

"Stop, I'm coming with you." She pushed past his hand and looked around the room. It was a normal living room, with a TV, couches, and everything. It was also very dark. They probably blended in. She walked in another room linked to the living room, and stared around.

"Troy look-" She turned around while speaking, but stopped when she noticed she was alone. Dammit. He probably went the other way. She huffed and started walking back to the living room when two arms grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Sh." She looked back to the man when she was about to scream, but sighed in relief. It was Troy. "Don't speak." His hands were holding onto her arms, and she was in front of him. They were at the edge of the room, and he pushed her to the side of him, away from the open space. He moved closer to the living room, peeking his head out.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to be as quiet as possible. He slightly jumped, and turned back to face her. "He's here, armed. So be quiet before you get us killed." He also said quietly, and she put her arms across her chest in annoyance.

"I know someones in here. Show yourself and I wont shoot." Gabriella heard a loud voice, and recognized it as Nicks. It made her even angrier. Troy held his hand up, trying to stop Gabriella from running to the man and killing him. She wouldn't be able to kill him, but damn did she want too. "Don't move. Whatever happens, you stay here. Got it?" Troy whispered, and Gabriella shook her head. Was he trying to get himself killed? He pushed her to the end of the room, and nodded. "Please." He walked away from her, back to his original spot. She was going to listen to him. She didn't want to be the reason he was hurt. He walked straight into the room, without any hesitation. What is he doing?

"Stay right there. Don't move or I'll shoot." Nick held his gun higher when Troy walked into the room. Thank god his face was covered, or he would probably shoot at him right then and there. Nick moved his gun up and down, and walked closer. "Drop the guns on the floor." Troy stood still as the man got closer, and he shook his head. He could hear Gabriella breathing. Dammit, he was hoping she wouldn't do anything brave.

"I will shoot you right now. Fucking get rid of them!" Nick practically screamed, aiming his gun at Troys head. Troy pulled the two guns out of his belt, and threw them to the floor. "Who are you? Why are you in my house?" Nick asked, getting closer.

"Who was the guy that answered the door? Your gay lover?" Troy said, trying to make conversation. Nick clenched onto his gun harder, and Troy laughed when he noticed him getting angry.

"Take off the damn mask and answer me." Nick screamed once again and Troy swore he could hear Gabriella saying 'Oh god' repetitively.

"Would that make you happy? If I showed you my face? Would you tell me if you were gay?" Troy asked, and chuckled to himself again. He heard a shot go off and quickly flinched, putting his hands up in defense. "Whoa buddy calm down!" Troy prayed Gabriella didn't think he was actually shot. Since she didn't jump out and go crazy, he took it as a good sign.

"I'm not playing! Take the damn mask off!" Troy rolled his eyes, slowly bringing his hands up to the mask. He pulled it off in an instant, making Nicks hands shake with the gun. Troy smirked before running to the couch to take cover, and he slid behind it, grabbing his gun in the process. Troy cocked his gun, jumping when a bullet went through the couch on the side of him. He peeked up and saw Nick hidden behind the wall. If he wanted to play a game, Troy was in. He pulled the trigger, and quickly ducked down for cover. This went on for a while, before Troy shot one last bullet, that went through Nicks arm.

"Gotcha." Troy said to himself, and jumped over the couch to get to Gabriella. She was shaking on the floor, her hands over her legs. Her eyes were closed, and tears were running down her face.

"Gabriella." Troy said, and Gabriella quickly looked up to see Troy walking over to her. She smiled brightly and ran to him, hugging him tightly. "Thank god. I couldn't stand the shooting."

"You listened. Thank you." He pulled her closer, and hugged her back tightly as well.

"I didn't want to get in the way. I love you." She pecked his lips, and he smiled at her, staring into her eyes. Her mask was off, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Troy remembered Nick being shot, and he pulled away. "Come on, we should go now." He jogged to the spot where Nick was supposed to be on the floor, but instead there was just a spot of blood. He stared at it for a while and suddenly remembered Gabriella.

"Troy!" Gabriella screamed, and Troy looked over at her. His eyes widened and he cursed at himself. Nick was holding onto her, his hand around her neck. She wasn't crying this time, but he could tell she was scared shit-less. Why did he let this happen? He shouldn't of taken his eyes off Gabriella. Now she was going to get hurt, and it was his fault.

"Let her go, now!" Troys body tensed, and his jaw got tighter. He wasn't letting her get hurt. Not on his watch.

"You're supposed to be dead Troy." Nick said, gripping onto Gabriella tighter. She winced in pain, and Troy felt his blood boil.

"And you will be unless you let her go." He pulled his gun out from his pocket and aimed it at Nick. He could harm Gabriella if he took a shot, so he tried to position it correctly.

"Sorry man. Don't take it personal. It's just business." Nick moved his gun away from Gabriellas face, aiming it at Troy. He took a shot at him, and Troy fell backwards onto the floor.

"No!" Gabriella screamed loudly and starting moving in Nicks arms. She kept screaming and trying to get away until Nick picked her up bridal style, and put his hand over her mouth. She bit hard onto it, and Nick dropped her on the floor. She started crawling to Troy to make sure he was okay, but he wasn't moving from her view. She felt two arms tightly grip her shoulders and pick her up off the ground. Nick raised his gun at her and hit her on her head with it. She fell to the floor, soon everything becoming black.

* * *

Troy opened his eyes and started coughing. He tried to sit up, but felt something dig into his skin. "Dammit." He unzipped his jacket, and lifted up his shirt. He stared down at his stomach, a bullet in his vest. Second time being shot, right in the same place. Gonna leave a big ass bruise. He took the vest off and threw it on the side of the room, finally letting out a big breath. He sat up and studied himself to make sure he wasn't hit anywhere else. He turned his attention to the room, and started to panic. Where was Gabriella?

"Gabriella?" Troy jumped to his feet, and looked around the rooms, hoping to find her. "FUCK." He screamed loudly and ran out of the house to his car. He quickly started the car, and sped off.

* * *

Troy ran in Dylans little house, panting loudly. Chad was sitting down on the small couch. Taylor was sitting next to him, and Dylan was sitting on the arm chair. All three of them looked up at Troy, confused.

"What happened? Wheres Gabriella?" Chad stood off the couch, and Troy was pacing to the back of the room. "Troy! What happened?" Chad said, louder this time. Troy came back with a bag of guns that were stashed in the kitchen.

"Nick took her. I fucked up. I won't let anything happen to her though. I can't lose her." Troy rambled on and set the bag down on the coffee table and started looking through it.

"Oh my god!" Taylor gasped, and put her hands over her mouth. Dylan didn't really have an expression on his face, he just stared at Troy, shocked.

"Troy, calm down!" Chad grabbed Troys shoulder, trying to get him to stop. Troy just pushed his hand off and grabbed two guns out. He put them in his belt, and zipped up the bag.

"No, I need to get her back. This is all my fault." Troy kept ignoring every ones cries and threw the bag over his shoulder. It was heavy, but he didn't really care about that at the moment. He just wanted to find Gabriella. He wasn't ready to say goodbye. He never would be.

"How Troy? Let me help you." Chad spoke soothing words, but Troy ran to the door, not looking back. "Troy!" Chad followed Troy outside, after telling Taylor and Dylan to stay put.

"Go back inside." Troy said, not looking back. He was speed walking to the car.

"Let me help you! You don't even know where to go!" Chad yelled, running next to Troy. Troy stopped short and looked at Chad.

"Help me? How are you gonna help me? You don't know where to go either!" Troy was getting angrier, he was wasting time fighting with Chad when he could be finding Gabriella.

"We'll figure it out Troy! She's my friend now Troy. I don't want her hurt either!"

"This is my fault! I'm the reason she's with that fuck! I love her too much to let anything happen to her! I can't lose her Chad..I can't.." Troys eyes watered and he fell to the ground, dropping the bag on the side. Chad knelt down to Troy, and patted his back in comfort while Troy cried heavily into his shaking hands. "We'll find her Troy."

* * *

**I really got like one review on each chapter lately, thank you to the person that reviewed! I'm not gonna stop or anything cause I don't get reviews, I just wanna know if people are still reading it. Should I just stop? Hm, next chapter will be up soon either way. Thanks. **


	19. I Love You

Gabriella woke up to a bright room, burning her eyes slightly. She blinked a few times and looked around. It was a bedroom, but very unfamiliar. "Hello?" She hoped Troy was here. But then she remembered before. She quickly sat up on the bed that she was placed in, and tried to get off, but her hand stopped her. Her right hand was cuffed to the bed post, and her wrist was throbbing in pain. Her first instinct was to scream, so she did. She screamed for a while, letting out all her anger. The door flew open, she closed her mouth and tried to back away.

"Will you stop screaming? I don't want to tape your mouth baby." Nick was standing by the door, his hands in his pockets. He had this look on his face, almost like he was satisfied. "You look a little pale. Are you okay?" He walked to the bed and sat down on the corner.

"Get away." She spoke under her breath, trying not to claw at him.

"I'm just trying to make sure you're okay. Gosh." He laughed to himself, and reached his hand out to her. She spat at him, and he shook his head. "You just don't know how to play along. But you used too. You were once amazing. What happened?" He asked, pulling his hand back.

"You happened. You dumb fuck. I hate you." She said angrily, her face emotionless.

"Babe, I know you're mad. Let me explain." He smiled, and she felt disgusted. She wanted Troy. But he might be dead. She didn't even get to see if he was okay.

"He will kill you. I can promise you that." Gabriella said, and he laughed.

"How baby? I shot him. I made sure he died this time. He isn't alive anymore. It's just you and me. Like old times." He grabbed a roll of tape from his nightstand and ripped a piece off. He placed it over her mouth, and she sat there, not moving. She was too mad.

"Now, I think I owe you an explanation." He smirked and touched the side of her arm gently. She backed away from him. She didn't want his filthy hands on her. He set his hand down on the bed, and he looked disappointed. "It started when I met this man, before I met you. I was homeless on the streets, barely making a living. I couldn't even afford bread." Gabriella laughed at him under the tape, but not because she thought it was funny. She thought he deserved it, and it just happened to make her laugh. He sat there dumbfounded, and continued. "He offered me a job. So I took it. I didn't care what kind of job it was. His name was Richard. Worked for this big company." He paused for a moment, staring at the ceiling, and finally continued. "Anyways, it came tumbling down. I wouldn't be apart of it, I couldn't. People were out to kill everyone that worked with him. So..I had to take drastic measures to save my own life." Gabriellas eyes widened, and she stopped breathing for a moment. "I know you're thinking it. And yes, you're right. The ring was something they used to find us. It defined me, told them who I was. So I gave it to you. For a while things were okay, then they came for you. I couldn't control it." Gabriella sat there in shock, and he ripped the tape off her mouth. She winced and touched her lips lightly.

"Did you ever even love me?" She was wondering that from the beginning. Yes there were more important questions, but she needed to know if everything had been a lie.

"Of course I did. I still do. I never wanted you to get hurt. I was looking for you, you know. And then I found out you were with that...guy. It had to come down to this."

"You liar!" She screamed, and shook the bed in anger. "How did you know that man at the party than?" She yelled louder. "How Nick?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He got off the bed and walked to the door. "Get some rest. We're leaving tomorrow." He left and shut the door behind him, locking it.

Nick was definitely lying. He knew Troys boss. She saw them together in the picture. This man was a monster. And she was going to kill him.

* * *

"Thanks Chad.." Troy looked at Chad who was driving the car. Troys eyes were hurting from all the crying. He couldn't help it, they just came out. He didn't want to act strong like he usually did. He just wanted Gabriella.

"Don't thank me. I will always help you." Chad stopped the car and glanced at Troy.

Troy sighed and looked down. "What next?"

"You tell me Troy. I wasn't there when it happened. Do you remember anything that could help?"

Troy shook his head at Chad, and looked out the window. It was hopeless. He would never find her. He had no idea where she was. She could be dead for all he knew.

* * *

Gabriella pulled at the bed post, groaning. She used her other hand to try and pull it off, but it was hard since she was so weak. "Come on dammit!" She pulled harder for another 10 minutes, getting nowhere. She sighed and slumped down, running her hand through her hair. Her finger grazed across a pin placed in her hair, and a light bulb went off in her mind. She grabbed the bobby pin and started messing with the cuffs. It took her a while, but she finally got it off. She smiled to herself, and pulled her hand away. She rubbed it gently, a red mark around her wrist. Suddenly she heard a noise by the door, and she put her hand back to how it was before. The door opened and Nick was walking to her with pizza in his hand.

"Brought you this. I know it's your favorite." He placed the plate on the bed, and smiled at her.

"It's not my favorite." She glared at him, and played with the knife under the covers.

"Oh." He looked down and pushed the place further to her. "Well, I know you like it. So eat some." She stared at the pizza in disgust, imagining it being Nick. She wanted to pound into it, and crush it with her hands. But she had to do something else first. She had to be strong, like Troy taught her.

"I'm sorry Nick."

Nick quickly looked at her, a smile across his face. "You are?"

She nodded, and smiled. But inside, she was in agony. "I know you love me. And..I love you too. It just took me so long to realize it."

His smile soon faded, and she become slightly worried. "Are you just saying that like before, after the party?"

Fuck. "No, I mean it. I just used Troy as a way to get over you. I thought you didn't love me."

He genuinely looked shocked. "I do love you baby. I do."

Gabriella smiled, and leaned in closer to him. "Kiss me." Like lightening he pressed his lips to hers, and her insides were turning. Not in a good way. It wasn't like Troys kisses, not even comparable. She hated the feeling of kissing him, even being this close to him. He tried to enter his tongue in her mouth, but Gabriella was almost gagging. She quickly pulled the knife from the covers, and pushed it into his arm where he was already wounded by Troys bullet. He screamed in pain and she jumped off the bed, running to the door.

"You little bitch!" She heard him scream, but it wasn't that loud because she was already down the steps to whatever room showed up. She looked around the room for a phone, or something to get into contact with Chad. If Troy was hurt, Chad would be the first one to know. She needed to know as well. There was a phone on the counter in the kitchen, like any ordinary home. She quickly picked it up and dialed Chads number.

"_Hello?" _

Gabriella felt herself overcome with relief, and she spoke quietly into the phone.

"Chad? Thank god! Is Troy okay?"

"_Gabriella? Where the hell-"_

Gabriella listened closely into the phone, waiting for a voice. She heard a bunch of rustling and became nervous. She heard a scream from upstairs and ran to the front door, which was locked. She quickly ran back into a room, and locked it shut.

"_Gabriella? Are you hurt? Did he touch you?" _

Gabriellas heart stopped when she heard the voice on the other end of the line. It was Troys. He was alive.

"Troy! I'm so sorry!" She cried into the phone and heard a sob from him.

"_Where are you? What's going on?" _

"I-I I don't know. I stabbed him, he's looking for me. Troy, I'm scared. Please find me."

"_That's my girl. Go look out the window, tell me what you see." _

She ran to the window in the random room she was in. She pulled the shades away and looked outside.

"A-A lake..with houses around. And a black car parked by the lake. Troy I don't know where it is!" She heard banging outside the door, and she ran to a corner.

"_A lake? I know where you are, I'm close by. Hide somewhere Gabriella. Please don't get hurt. I love you."_

"O-Okay. Troy please hurry." The door suddenly flew open, and she screamed her loudest. Nick was standing a few feet away from her, blood dripping down his arm. The knife was still in there, and he was a little tipsy. He should be in more pain, but than again, monsters are strong. He walked over to her and picked her up from the floor, pushing her against the wall.

"_Gabriella? GABRIELLA?" _

She dropped the phone on the floor, but managed to hear those last words. Her back was throbbing in pain, and her eyes were shut. She was trying to run, but he grabbed her from the wall and threw her on the table in the middle of the room. Her head banged against the wood, and she groaned in pain.

"I loved you Gabriella. But you ruined it. Now i'm going to kill you." He was above her, his hands holding her down. She was managing to move her body, trying to get him off, but her head was still in pain. He smacked her hard across her face, and she stopped moving from the shock. She started to cry in pain, and he pushed her off the table onto the ground. She leaned against the wall, trying to stay awake.

"I wish it didn't have to come to this." He pulled a gun out of a drawer, aiming it straight at Gabriella. She held her hand to her head, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. She accepted that she was going to die. She only thought about Troy though. She missed him. He was ready to pull the trigger when a loud noise echoed through the room. Nick looked behind him and muttered a few words. He walked out and then there was a big bang. Gabriella tried opening her eyes all the way, but kept her hand on her head. She looked to the front of her and saw Troy running. Was this a dream?

"Gabriella!" He dropped to the floor and pulled her into his arms, kissing her head.

"Troy.." She heard his sobs, and held him closer, nuzzling into his chest. Her eyes were slowly closing, until she felt Troy pull away. Her eyes opened all the way and she screamed Troys name.

Nick was punching Troy in the face, and Troy was trying to fight back. He pushed Nick into the wall, and Nick let out a loud groan. Troy punched Nick in the gut, but Nick kicked at Troys legs, and he fell to the floor. Nick knelt down next to him and lifted a knife that he pulled from his pocket. Troy grabbed onto Nicks hand and tried pushing it away from his face. Troy looked to the side and saw Gabriella on the floor, her eyes closed. He looked back at Nick and pushed his hand back with more force, and knocked him in the face. Nick fell backwards holding his nose, and Troy tried to run to Gabriella but Nick grabbed his leg, allowing him to fall. Troy punched him in the nose again and pushed him off. He needed to kill him. It was now or never. Troy ran out the room and saw Chad on the floor unconscious. He reached in Chads pocket and grabbed the knife. He quickly put his finger on Chads neck, and felt a pulse. He sighed in relief and stood up to run back to the room, but was stopped when Nick was standing at the doorway, blocking the view inside. He was holding a gun and smiling, blood dripping down his face.

"You don't die do you?" He pulled the trigger on his gun, and a bullet was shot. Troys eyes widened when he saw a bullet go through Nicks head. Nick fell forward revealing Gabriella, her eyes closed, and her hands clutching onto the gun. Troy ran over to Gabriella catching her in his arms before she fell.

* * *

Gabriella cracked one eye open, and groaned in pain. He head was throbbing in pain and her whole body was aching. She opened both eyes, and looked straight ahead at Troy who was sitting at the end of the bed, his legs shaking.

"Troy?" She whispered, not fully awake. He quickly looked at her and smiled.

"Thank god." He climbed over to her and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.

* * *

Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter! I feel kind of bad because I basically forced you to review ;x Sorry! Anyways, thanks so much! I know now that people are still reading it, so I plan on finishing this story. Theres probably gonna be like 30-40 chapters. I have no clue right now. But I did write the next 7 chapters already, so I will still post a new chapter everyday. And yeah I realize that he found Gabriella really quickly and it's pretty unlikely she would get to a phone and unlock the cuffs, but I like when they are together! It makes me happy (: Yeah..Bye!


	20. Secrets

Did you guys read what Vanessa said about the breakup? It just makes me upset :/ But I think if they ever see each other & aren't doin the whole distance thing..well you never know! Just ughh, distance sucks. And, did you see his new shirtless pics? OMG. OMG. I melted. It's my background on my phone. I swear, he's so sexyyy. Now we got Vanessa on that magazine with abs! Jeez, she's just so gorgeous. I miss them -_- ugh, just gotta hope for the best.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella spent the rest of the night holding each other under the covers, not leaving the bed once. Gabriella told him what Nick had said, and Troy held her closer every time she mentioned his name. She cried for hours into his arms, but he was just relieved she was alive. Her bruises made his heart ache, and he hated the fact he couldn't help her about her head pain. He took care of her, making sure she wasn't hurting as much as before. He only had a few bruises on his face and body, and a long scratch on his cheek. He wasn't focused on him, he honestly didn't care. He just wanted Gabriella to smile again.

"I love you Troy." He kissed the top of her forehead, and left his lips there. She cuddled closer into his chest, and thought about the previous events. She promised herself she wasn't going to cry anymore. She didn't have much of a reason too. Troy was alive, and Nick was dead. She forgot that Troy was wearing a vest back at house, so she basically worried for nothing. He wasn't hurt as much as her, and she knew he would be tough about it and not pay attention to himself. But she wanted to make sure he was emotionally okay. He would get better physically, he always did.

"I love you more." He mumbled against her head and played a strand of her hair.

She lifted his shirt up under the covers and traced his stitches. He took his bandage off before and his wound was completely healed. He could take the stitches out any time he wanted and there would just be a scar there. Nothing to worry about. She moved her hand above his belly button where there was a large bruise from the impact of the bullet.

"Does it hurt?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Not at much as what you're feeling."

Gabriella sighed and shook her head. "Troy, I'm fine. I just have a headache. I don't even feel the bruises yet." She took advil before, but it wasn't working any wonders.

"Are you sure? Do you want more-"

She put her finger over his lips and shook her head again. "I'm fine baby. Stop worrying about me."

"But Brie..This is all my fault. I should've watched you closer. Then.."

This time she placed her whole hand over his mouth. "Troy, don't blame yourself. This isn't your fault. Stop." She removed her hand and sighed. "We are always blaming ourselves for the other one getting hurt. We should stop that. Both of us."

He nodded. He knew it was his fault, but he wasn't going to start a fight. He was just happy to be with her. "I'm sorry. I'm just glad you're okay."

She finally smiled her cute bubbly smile he's been waiting for. "Me too." She leaned up and placed a kiss on his lips and he massaged his lips with hers. He pulled the covers over both of them, and she squealed loudly "Troy!"

* * *

"Is Chad okay?" Gabriella asked 2 hours later, still laying in the bed.

"He's fine. Just a headache like you. Wanna see him? They all wanna see you by the way." He said, and smiled. She nodded and jumped off the bed. Chad and Taylor was downstairs, and they were waiting for her and Troy to 'wake up'. They both went to Taylors house, and Dylan stayed behind to watch John.

"Gabriella!" Taylor ran up to Gabriella when she was walking off the last step on the stairs. She smiled brightly and hugged Taylor. "You don't know how happy I am that you are okay!" She squeezed Gabriella and picked her up off the ground, her feet dangling. Gabriella giggled loudly, and heard Troy cough behind.

"Taylor, she's hurt. Put her down." Troy walked past them to the couch and sat down next to Chad. Gabriella and Taylor both rolled their eyes and Gabriella mouthed 'I'm fine" to Taylor. Gabriella followed Taylor to the couches and saw Chad smiling. She started to laugh hard when she saw the bandage wrapped around his large afro.

"Oh..god.." She held her stomach and fell onto the couch, laughing.

"Hey! Some people aren't as fortunate as you! Sometimes they actually bleed through!" He defended himself, only making Gabriella laugh more.

"I'm sorry Chad..." She tried to breathe, and giggled once more before stopping. "I'm glad you're okay."

He laughed back at her, and Taylor joined in. "You too Gabs." Gabriella smiled in returned and looked at Troy who had his arms crossed of his chest. He looked annoyed, and partly upset. Gabriella stopped smiling at Chad started talking.

"Troy, you need to see John. He won't speak to anyone. Dylan tried. Hell, even Taylor tried." Chad said, looking at only Troy.

"Did you try?" Troy asked, his arms still folded.

"He didn't give me a chance. He just told me to bring you in there."

Troy leaned back against the couch and nodded. "Then I'll talk to him. Later though, I just want to relax for a little."

"Well me and Taylor are going over there to make sure Dylans alright. He beat the crap outta John. He doesn't like him much."

"And you left him there?" Troy said, his eyebrows rising.

"He promised he would be alright.. and he wouldn't kill him. He knows you want to deal with him."

Chad stood up and jerked his head to the door. Taylor stood up as well and gave Gabriella a quick hug before walking to the door. "Come by soon." Chad demanded and left the house with Taylor. Gabriella waited to hear the car taking off before opening her mouth.

"Troy, I have a question."

Troy looked at Gabriella, his mood lightened up a little. "What is it babe?"

"How did you know where I was before? I didn't tell you much.." Gabriella stated, and Troy starting tensing up again. She sat there confused, and put both of her hands on her lap. "It's been on my mind all day."

"I recognized it."

"How? There's a lot of lakes, Troy. Tell me."

He sighed and stood up. He sat down next to her on the couch and looked into her eyes. "It's one of Johns houses."

Gabriella gasped and stared at Troy. "I knew he was lying...Why would he be at his house though?"

"Beats me."

She leaned into his arms and huffed. "This makes my brain hurt."

He quickly responded and lifted her chin to face him "Advil?"

She giggled and shook her head "Figure of speech, Troy. I'm okay."

"Oh okay." He smiled, probably aware that he just sounded like an idiot.

* * *

Troy stepped inside the shack, holding Gabriellas hand who was next to him.

"I'll be back, okay?" Gabriella nodded, and Troy let go of her hand. She smiled at him and sat down next to Taylor. Dylan and Chad were staring at her.

"What?" Gabriella said, confused.

"You might want to put in earplugs." Dylan said, and everyone laughed.

* * *

"Troy, my man!" John yelled, smiling widely. His face was bruised up badly and he was missing his front teeth.

"Nice teeth." Troy laughed to himself and pulled a chair in front of John and sat down. John was seated in a chair as well, his hands tied behind his back. "Now, I thought you should know some things."

John quickly interrupted. "No, no! Let me start. First, I didn't know you still talked to Dylan! How big has he gotten? My god!" Troys jaw tightened, and looked at John, expressionless.

"He looks better than when you beat the crap out of him, you mean? I'm glad he kicked your ass. You deserved it all."

John just laughed and looked at Troy without saying a word.

"Like I was saying before. I think you should know that I handled Nick. Whatever relationship you two have, it's done. He's dead." John looked shocked, and his mouth was opened. You could see his toothless insides. Nasty.

"That wasn't very smart Troy."

"What's it too you? Why do you care so much?" Troy asked, inching closer to John.

"Oh, you think I'm going to tell you? No Troy. I would never." John smirked, and Troy looked into his eyes. One eye was bruised and a yellow color was underneath it. It wasn't fully open, while the other was completely opened. He looked like someone smashed his face with a bat.

"It's okay John. I don't need you to tell me. I already know." Troy told him and John didn't look amused anymore. "I know he's your son."

"W-What?" John stammered, and Troy chuckled. He got up from the chair and started walking around John in circles.

"Well you see. It took me a while. But I figured it out. When I got to Gabriella, it was pretty funny. It was your house! How ironic right?"

"That doesn't prove anything." John stated, and looked away from Troy.

"Oh but it does. Gabriella told me what Nick told her. About him giving the ring to her to protect himself. That's why you wanted her right? To kill her? So you could prove that your son had nothing to do with it. So he wouldn't be harmed." Troy paused and let out a laugh. "But it looks like things turned on you, buddy."

John just stared at the floor, not denying Troys theory, or confirming it. Troy knew he was right, it made the most sense.

"So John. What's on the agenda now? You're 55, have no son, and stuck in here. I'd hate to be you. Thank god I don't have to be."

John grew angry. When Troy walked in front of him, he spit right in Troys face. Troy looked disgusted and wiped it off his face. He punched John right in the face, as hard as he could. Johns head fell backwards and he just laughed while spitting out blood.

"What's so funny Boss?" Troy asked, sitting down on chair.

John brought his head back up and spit the blood out of his mouth, on the floor. "Ah, Troy." He laughed loudly. "It's just..You don't know what you got yourself into. It's not over Troy. It never will be."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"People are still looking for her. They still think she's apart of it. And when Richard finds out what you did to his best man, he's going to kill you." He continued to laugh, and Troy didn't know what to say. He remembered hearing about Richard from Gabriella, the man that was Nicks boss. But he didn't know if he was still alive or not. "Not to mention the people that wanted Richards employees dead. They're more powerful than.. even me. You're a dead man Troy. Everyone you love is going to die. Especially Gabriella." Troy sat on the chair, still not able to speak. He didn't realize what he got himself into. John stopped laughing and looked at Troy. "And lets not forget Marissa."

* * *

Gasp! Right? I hate John. And I made him. But he's not gonna be around much longer. I got more characters to hate. Thanks for reviewing! Next chapter will be up tomorrow!


	21. I Trust You

Troy jumped at the sound of her name. He looked at John dead in the eye, and felt his water. "Don't say her name. Don't ever say her name." Troy stood up and walked away from John.

"She's going to die. And I can't wait till that happens." Troy was going to walk out the door when he heard him. He looked back and his hands balled into fists.

"You won't be alive to see it happen." He walked over to John and smirked.

* * *

Gabriella was waiting patiently outside the room for Troy. He was in there for about an hour, and she heard a few screams, but not many. Not like everyone expected. Everyone sat there in silence, waiting for the news. There was a loud smash, and Troy walked into the room. Blood was dripping from his hands, and his shirt was stained with it. Gabriella gasped and quickly ran up to him. She looked closely at him and he nodded.

"What happened?" Chad asked from behind, and Troy didn't answer. He was still looking at Gabriella. Gabriella could tell something happened by his eyes. They weren't his normal shade of light blue. They were dark, almost like black. Almost like..empty.

"Troy?" Dylan asked, and Troy finally snapped out of it. He looked up at everyone and didn't say a word. Chad ran off the couch and into the room. Troy walked to the couch and Gabriella stood there, clueless. Chad came back out, out of breath. He was staring at Troy who was staring at the ground.

"You killed him!" Chad yelled, and everyone gasped in shock, including Gabriella. They all looked at him, but his expression was the same. He didn't seem to care.

"He deserved it. He's a prick."

Chad walked over to him, and screamed in his face. "Troy what the hell! You weren't supposed to kill him!"

Troy looked up at Chad, no emotion could be seen on his face. "Why does it matter? He would've died sometime."

"Troy what's wrong with you? I wouldn't of brought you in there if you were going to kill him!"

"Chad drop it. He was useless. He didn't know anything."

Chad looked angry. He shoved Troy that was sitting on the couch, alone. "Useless? Troy he knew everything! He's the reason for all this!"

Troy stood up and shoved Chad back. Chad stumbled over and fell on the floor, shocked. "Don't touch me." Troy walked to the door, and went outside. He slammed the door behind him, and everyone stood there, their mouths wide open.

Gabriella still stood there, shaking. She was scared. For herself, and everyone in the room. The Troy she loved and cared deeply for was turning into what Nick was. A monster.

* * *

After telling Chad, Taylor and Dylan countless times she would be fine, they agreed to let her go outside. She thanked them and walked outside, looking for Troy. The car was still parked in front, so she knew he was close. She walked for a few minutes, and finally saw him sitting on an old, rusted swing set. He was staring at his feet, slowly rocking back and forth.

"Troy?" Gabriella said, and Troy immediately looked up at her. He looked upset.

"Go back inside." He got off the swings and started walking away from her. She ran to him and grabbed his arm. "Troy, stop it! What happened in there?"

He stood still, allowing her to keep her hold on him. He didn't look at her, just the sky. "Nothing happened in there. He just told me what you told me."

"Troy please. I know something happened. Everyone knows something happened. You pushed Chad, Troy. You're not like that." She put her hand on his cheek, and pushed his face so he was looking at her.

"Tell me what happened." He closed his eyes and sighed. He removed her hand and held it into his. He brought her back to the swing set and sat down on the swing. She placed both legs around his sides so she was straddling him. He put both of his hands around her waist and looked up at her.

"Nick was Johns son." He finally got out, and Gabriella gasped. It explained so much.

"Why would you get upset over that?" Gabriella questioned.

"I wasn't upset over it. He mentioned something about my past, it got me...crazy."

"What is it Troy?" Gabriella cupped his cheek, and smiled reassuringly at him.

"He mentioned my sister."

Gabriellas hand was frozen, her whole body was frozen. He told her he had no siblings. He didn't even tell her about Dylan for a while, who wasn't his real brother.

"Is she another foster sister?" Troy shook his head at her question.

"I know I never told you about her. I never told anyone besides John. Not even Chad."

"Why didn't you tell anyone Troy?"

"I tried to protect her. John said he would.." Troy stopped, and Gabriella nodded for him to continue. "We were both placed into separate foster homes. I never saw her. I barely knew anything about her. Anyway, I told John about her. And he found her. Her names Marissa. She's a year younger than me. Blue eyes, brown hair. She's beautiful."

Gabriella smiled at Troy but he looked down.

"I told her everything about my life. She knew what I did. And she hated it. She was staying with me at Johns, and one day...she left. I never saw her again. Gabriella, I havent seen her in years. And John said she could be in danger too..I..I can't lose everyone."

Gabriella kissed him lightly on the lips and kissed the corner of his mouth. "I'm sorry Troy, I really am. But I'm sure she is fine. She's probably living an amazing life, with kids and everything. If you can't find her, they wont."

"Gabriella...I do know where she is. I've been to her house so many times. I just couldn't bring myself to knock."

"You have to see her Troy. You have to talk to her, she's your family. Something I never had."

Troy looked up and nodded at Gabriella, a sparkle in his eyes. "You have one now."

* * *

Troy didn't tell anyone else about Marissa, he didn't want to risk anyone knowing. He made up with Chad, and just told him about Richard and what John said. He only left out the one detail about his sister. Everyone went back to Taylors house, and got settled in. No one knew where to find this Richard, or the man John was talking about. Troy concluded that they would come to them. They were still going to take precautions, but they were going to try to have fun. They just wanted to push the worries aside and move on for a while. And that's what they intended to do.

"You don't leave this house without another person. You always bring someone. It can even be Taylor. I don't care." Troy told Gabriella, and she laughed.

"I guess that'll have to do." She smiled, and he started to tickle her. She squirmed in his arms, and squealed loudly when he got her most ticklish part. "Troy! Stop!"

He pulled his hands away and laughed softly at her. "We get to live half-normal lives, babe."

She grinned and pulled him close to her by his shirt. "Yes, we do. So we should probably celebrate right?" She winked, and bit her lip.

He got closer to her and chuckled "I like how you think babe." He kissed her, and she softly bit on his bottom lip. He moaned in her mouth, and she giggled kissing him more passionately. He pulled her onto his lap, and slid his hand up her thigh, making her core throb. She let out a soft moan and quickly pulled away from him. He pouted and watched her sit at the edge of the bed.

"What's wrong babe?" Troy asked, crawling next to her.

"I keep thinking about your sister."

Troy laughed and traced her back with his fingers. "That's pretty kinky."

"Troy! I'm serious! You need to go see her!" Gabriella pushed him away, and stood up off the bed.

"What..Now? Gabriella come on, I'll see her tomorrow."

"No Troy. You need to see her now. This has been bugging me, and I'm sure it's bugging you. Get dressed."

Troy looked down at himself. He was wearing black boxers and a white t-shirt. He groaned and jumped off the bed. "Demanding, woman."

"Just get ready." She laughed, and he made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

"So, where is this place anyways? I think we've been driving for at least an hour." Gabriella asked, staring out the window.

"We're almost there."

"Good." She said and pressed the power button on the radio. Some random techno song came on, and Gabriella laughed. She started dancing, bobbing her head around. She whipped her hair from side to side, and shook her arms around. She started singing some made up words that went with the beat, and she heard Troy chuckle.

"What's so funny Troy?" She asked in all seriousness. She stopped dancing and waited for him to answer.

"Nothing..just. Nothing, you dance well." He smirked, and that made her smile.

"No, I dance amazing." She reached over and pressed the off button. "But, I'm done now. I think I have whiplash."

He laughed again and stopped the car on the side of the road. They were in the middle of nowhere.

"What are you doing Troy?" She asked, and he smiled. He locked all the doors and stared at her. She looked confused, but he just kept smiling. He pulled his shirt over his head and she gasped.

"We're almost there. But...I will only keep driving if we continue from before. You kind of left me hanging."

Gabriella quickly replied "No." and he pouted, but she smiled.

"Than we're staying here forever." He ignored her looks and jumped over to the back seat, and waited.

"Troy, I will not have sex with you in the middle of nowhere."

"Brie come on. No ones around...so no one will see. Besides, it's foggy out." He held his hands out and she sighed and hopped over to the back. It was night time, and really dark outside, so she couldn't really see him. She looked away from his face and down to his well toned body, that was glistening. She could see the curves of his abs, and she felt herself drooling. He winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

"Now before I rip it, take your shirt off." Troy demanded, and Gabriella laughed.

* * *

Gabriella pulled her shirt over her body, and noticed Troy staring at her. He was still naked, but he was sitting down on his shirt. He didn't have the decency to find a blanket in the trunk. Hmph.

"Stop looking at me." She said and laid down so she could pull her pants on. He grabbed her hand and pushed it away. He kissed up her legs, making his way to her thigh, and Gabriella slightly moaned. "Troy...Stop.." She closed her eyes when he was touching the outside of her panties. She felt herself becoming wet once again, and she jerked her body up.

"No, Troy. First you see your sister."

"Brie!" He whined and pulled away. He allowed her to put her pants on, and he slipped on his boxers. "I thought we were gonna try to be a normal couple."

"Couple? I don't remember you asking me out." She asked, and helped him put on his shirt.

"Well we acted like it. So I just assumed." He started to regret what he said, but she giggled and made him smile.

"I would love to be your girlfriend anyway Troy. You don't even have to ask...which you didn't." She laughed and he rolled his eyes. "Also buddy, normal couples don't have sex in a car, in the middle of nowhere."

"I'm sure some do." He exclaimed as she hopped back over to the front seat. He finished putting on his jeans and climbed to the front seat.

"Whatever. You ready?" She asked, and he nodded.

"She probably won't know who I am, but yes I'm ready." He mentioned, starting the car.

"How could she forget someone like you?" She asked, and he smiled.

"Thanks babe."

* * *

Troy was staring at the door, his hand placed over it. He couldn't bring himself to knock on the door.

"Troy! Knock! Or I will!" She whispered, and he kept staring. She pushed him over to the side and knocked on the door. Troy just stood there and waited to see her. After standing in the cold for a few minutes, the door finally opened, and a man stood there holding a baby.

"May I help you?" He asked, and Gabriella smiled at the child. It was a little chubby baby, and Gabriella guessed it was a boy from the clothes.

"Hi, i'm sorry to bother you so late at night, but does a Marissa Bolton happen to live here?" Troy finally told Gabriella his last name, after a little nagging. She told him hers too, and now they call each other by the last name. She thought it was cute.

"Ah, yes. She's inside. Does she know you?" He was cradling the baby in his arms, and Gabriella nodded.

"I'm a friend of hers." Gabriella responded, and the man nodded. He told her he would go get her and that they would be right back. Gabriella glanced over at Troy whose eyes were popping out of his head. He looked nervous, really nervous. And kind of high.

A lady was walking to the door with the man next to her. The baby was gone. He must've put him to sleep. "This is her." Gabriella heard the man tell Marissa, and she looked at him, confused.

"Uhm, do I know you? Adam told me you knew me?" Marissa said, and she looked Gabriella up and down. Gabriella looked at the man, who was obviously Adam. He looked confused as well. He probably thought she was gonna pull out a knife and kill them both.

"No you don't know me, I'm sorry. I just had to see you." Gabriella said, and motioned her hand at Troy. He was breathing weird, trying to calm down.

"Are you trying to sell me something?" Marissa asked, and Gabriella shook her head. Gabriella stepped off to the side, and the woman looked like she was about to call the cops. Troy walked in front of Marissa, and her eyes widened. She gasped, and Adam just stood there, dumbfounded.

"Who is that Marissa?" Adam whispered into her ear, and she just stared at Troy.

"My brother."

* * *

Gabriella sat down on the couch, Adam across from her on the other couch. There was a coffee table separating them, and a fire place next to them. It was a normal giant house, probably a doctor or someone could afford it. She smiled at him, and set her drink down. It was pretty awkward, she wasn't gonna lie. She looked over at the kitchen that was blocked by the wall. Troy wanted to talk to his sister alone.

"You shouldn't be here Troy." Marissa said as she sat down at the kitchen table. She put her hands in her hair, and ruffled it. She took in a deep breath and looked up at Troy. He sat down at the other end of the table and nodded.

"I know..But, I had to see you. I had to make sure you were okay."

"How did you even find me Troy? I haven't talked to you since that day..."

"It doesn't matter how. I need to see my family. You can't take that away from me."

Marissa laughed sarcastically. "Troy, you needed help. You were mentally crazy. And I tried to tell you to stay away from that life. You didn't listen to me. I couldn't be around you, family or not."

Troy sighed "I've changed Riss. I'm not like that anymore-"

She cut him off by groaning loudly. "Don't call me Riss! You lost that privilege!"

"Just hear me out!" He yelled in response, and she seemed scared. "I'm not a monster. I'm a human, with feelings. I don't do that anymore. I don't kill people. A lot of things have been going on lately."

"Does that explain your face? And that girl in my living room?" She asked, rudely.

He nodded. She's been staring at him, probably because of all the bruises. Besides that he wasn't the same looking. He grew up, got buffer, basically a new person.

"She's the reason I'm different. I'm in love with her." Marissa seemed shocked at his response. He's never loved someone besides Marissa. She even knew that.

"Troy..What the hell happened to you?"

After telling her the whole story, right from the very beginning, he could tell she was warming up to him. But he knew things wouldn't be different. He still did bad things in his past, and she witnessed it all.

"You have a family..a kid, a husband?" Troy asked, and she smiled.

"Two kids, a boy, Troy, and a girl, Alyssa. And yes, he's my husband. I met him after I left."

Troy smiled when he heard the name of the kid. He knew she cared, and this just proved it. "Where did you go? I looked for you everywhere."

"I just got out of Albuquerque. I had too. I went to a random place, got into a motel, and met him at a diner."

He smiled. At least she was happy while he was gone. She told him he was the only one she needed in her life.

"How old are your kids?"

"Both one. Twins." She smiled and looked at Troy closely. "You look different. Better. More handsome." She giggled and he laughed.

"You too sis. You've grown up into a beautiful woman."

"Thank you. Now..tell me about her."

He laughed and stood up holding his hand out "Come meet her." She grabbed his hand and followed him into the living room. He smiled when he saw Gabriella laughing at one of Adams jokes. Gabriella looked up, still giggling, and smiled at the sight. Troy was holding his sisters hand. They must've made up.

"Gabriella, this is my sister, Marissa. Marissa this is my girlfriend, Gabriella." He sat down next to Gabriella, and Marissa sat down next to Adam. Troy placed his arm around Gabriella and pulled her closer to him. The two couples talked endlessly all night until it was finally 2 am. They were all sleepy, and Troy decided it was time they headed back. It would take almost two hours to get back, so they needed to go.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here? We have a guest room." Marissa asked, and Adam agreed. He wrapped his hands around Marissa, and Troy smiled. He approved of the man, which wasn't necessary. But he still wanted to be the protective older brother.

"We don't want to intrude." Gabriella spoke up and Troy laughed. "Yeah, it's fine though. I'm not as tired as her. We'll talk soon okay?" Troy looked at Marissa, and she nodded.

"Drive safe." Troy and Gabriella said their final goodbyes and walked to the car, hand in hand.

"I love your sister." Gabriella told Troy, and he pinched her nose. "I love you."

* * *

WOOO, okay. Yeah there's only 7 more chapters left. I think, something like that. And yeah! I really don't have anything to say about this chapter. So...BYE :D


	22. Crystal Blue

WARNING: AWKWARD SEX SCENE BELOW ;D

* * *

"Aren't you glad I made you go tonight?" Gabriella got under the covers after slipping on a tank top, and putting on booty shorts. He liked her in them, so she wanted to reward him.

"Yes, thank you. You're amazing." He stated and got under the covers with her. He was only in his boxers, but still managed to be warm. She snuggled close to him and slowly closed her eyes.

"I love you."

"I love you too." She responded and fell to sleep.

* * *

Gabriella put her toothbrush down and wiped her mouth with the towel on the door. She opened the door and stared at Troy, sleeping. She giggled and crawled onto the bed, trying not to make it move. She crawled on top of him and heard a small groan come out of his mouth. He was face up and still very much asleep. She giggled and moved up so her pelvis was placed on his soon to be hard, area.

"Wakey wakey!" She whispered and rocked her hips slowly. He was still sleeping. God dammit. She bent down and placed her mouth by his ear, nibbling at it. She kissed his ear and made her way down to his neck, sucking on his soft spot. She heard him moan, and she smiled victoriously. She pulled her mouth away and sat up straight again. She took her hands and placed them under his shirt, raking his body with her nails. She traveled up and back down to his belly button, the small trail of hair leading to his treasure. She was about to pull his boxers down, when two hands grabbed her and she giggled. She looked up at him, one eye cracked open.

"May I ask what your doing?" He said in a deep voice, still a little raspy. It made Gabriella blush, and she smiled. "Waking you up."

"Mmmm." He responded in return and grabbed onto her hips, pulling her to him.

"How about you go brush your teeth and we'll continue?" Gabriella spoke seductively and she laughed when he was already in the bathroom. She sat waiting for him and smiled to herself. Finally things were going well. Finally.

* * *

"What's the plan for today?" Troy asked, watching Gabriella search through the drawer. Taylor let them use this as their room until things were better, and over. They were settling down for a while, and Gabriella asked for a dresser. Taylor happily accepted and even gave Gabriella some of her clothes. Taylor was shaped a little differently than Gabriella, so most of the stuff didn't fit well.

"I need clothes. Don't you?" She looked at Troy who was shaking his head. Of course, he actually fit into Chads clothes. So they just shared whatever. She did fit into Sharpays clothes, but she would never wear them. Not after she found out what a backstabbing bitch she was.

"Why don't you go out with Taylor today? Go do some girl shopping. You'll have fun." Troy told her, and she pushed the drawer shut.

"Come with us. It will only be fun if you're there."

Troy laughed and pointed at her to come over to him. "No, you go with her. You need some girl time. I'll hang out with Chad and Dylan. They wanna do some guy stuff."

Gabriella giggled and climbed over to Troy. She kissed him on the lips softly, and tried to pull away after a few seconds, but he held onto her. He made the kiss last another 5 minutes, of course tongue involved.

"Troy, let me go!" She laughed as he lifted her in the air before putting her back on the bed. She didn't want to go downstairs yet, but he told her she had too. So when she argued about it, he punished her.

"Than, come on." He picked her up off the bed and threw her over his shoulder. He walked to the door and heard her laughing. "Watch your head." He continued to hold her in this position until they were downstairs and in the kitchen.

"Look the lovebirds decided to join us." Taylor exclaimed, taking a sip of her coffee. Chad had his arms around her, and he was laughing.

Troy set Gabriella down and she fixed her shirt. "Gabriella and you are going shopping today. She needs clothes, and whatever else." Troy looked specifically at Taylor and she nodded.

"I love shopping."

* * *

"What the hell am I supposed to get in here, Taylor!" Gabriella looked around the store, muttering curse words to herself.

"Uhmmmm..Clothes!" Taylor stated the obvious and Gabriella said "Duh."

"I bet Troy will be excited." She told her, twirling a black thong around her finger. Gabriella grabbed it from her and set it back on the table. Gabriella only agreed to go into Victoria's Secret because Taylor said she wanted to get things for herself, not for Gabriella. Gabriella wasn't the type to buy thongs, or lacy underwear. She was a girl that liked solid color underwear and tank tops.

"Shut up, i'm not buying anything here." She started walking out, but Taylor grabbed her arm.

"Be a rebel Gabriella. You're a normal girl now. They shop for lingerie."

Gabriella sighed and gave up. Here goes nothing.

5 hours later they exited the mall with about 20 bags of clothes, accessories and things for the boys. Gabriella didn't have any money left because her credit cards were back at her apartment, and she was never going there. Taylor had a bunch of money saved up, and she decided to spend it all this day. Gabriella happily accepted and they bought everything in site. Including thongs, lacy underwear, and all types of bras. But they also bought normal clothes like t-shirts, jeans, jackets, all the girl stuff.

"You think he'll like it?" Gabriella asked Taylor while entering the car. Taylor nodded at her. "He loved basketball when he was in foster homes, and he told me his favorite number was 14..so he should like it right!"

"Gabriella, calm down. He'll love it. A homemade jersey is what every body wants." Taylor laughed, and Gabriella hit her on her arm.

"Ow! I'm being serious! Don't be so paranoid!" Taylor started the car, and rubbed her arm in the process. Gabriella was still smiling like an idiot. She was excited. Her and Troy never did any real couple things like this. So this was a start. She was beginning to be in a real relationship like before. Even if it was with a psycho.

"Troy!" Gabriella yelled, looking around the house for him. She walked up the stairs and walked into the room. It was empty. She dropped the bags on the bed and ran back downstairs. "Troy?" She said quieter, walking into every room. Where the hell is this man? She walked to the kitchen and spotted a figure sitting at the edge of the pool. She smiled and sat down next to him, letting her feet fall in the water.

"It's freezing out. You must be cold." Troy looked over at Gabriella and smiled. He kissed her on her cheek and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"It's August. This day just happens to be cold. It's still not bad." He said, and she pulled her shirt over her head so she was in her tank top. She let go of his hand and stood up, pulling her pants off. She jumped in the pool and waited a few seconds to come back up for air. When she got to the surface she looked around and Troy was nowhere in sight. She giggled when she felt two arms wrap around her waist.

"Did you have fun today babe?" He asked, and she turned to face him. Her body close to his, and their faces inches away.

"So much. It's good to feel like a girl again." She giggled and he kissed her on her neck, sucking lightly on her skin. He flicked her skin with his tongue and she let out a small moan. "And...you're..gonna..love..what..I..got.." She spoke in between breathes. He sucked harder on her soft spot and she gripped onto his sides, digging her nails into his skin. He kissed down to her chest where the boundary between the water and the surface was. He went under water and she jumped a little when she felt him pull her underwear down with his teeth. He came back up for air, the underwear in his hand. He threw it over to the side on the grass and smirked at her. She gasped, but a giggle came out. He pressed his lips against hers, and pushed her toward the wall. He pinned her against the edge, and she pulled her lips away from his, letting them both breathe.

"We can't do this here. Not now. Chad, Taylor and Dylan are inside Troy." She told him, and he ignored her by kissing on her neck again. That always made her shut up.

"Chad told me he's taking her out..and Dylan is going out to eat..alone.." Troy told her, still sucking on her neck. She felt his hands climbing up her stomach, and too her tank top. He pulled his mouth away from her neck, and pulled her tank top over her head. He quickly unclasped her bra, and cupped one of her breasts in his hand after he roughly kissed her again. She moaned in the kiss, and he felt the vibration on her lips, making his erection come to its full point. She felt her core tingle when his erection was poking at her thigh, and she quickly pulled his bathing suit down, letting it float in the pool. He moved his hands to her hips and entered into her with one quick thrust, causing her to moan louder. She bite down on his lower lip, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, allowing him to go deeper inside.

"Troy..." She moaned in pleasure, and played with his tongue in her mouth. She threw her arms around his neck and gripped onto his hair.

"Brie.." He spoke in their kiss and entered into her harder each time, quickening his pace. Their hips moved along with each other in the same rhythm, and they both felt themselves getting closer.

"Oh my god.." She moaned into his mouth and he squeezed her ass hard, making her arch her back. "Faster.." He obeyed her command, and went faster until she finally climaxed, moaning loudly. He pulled out before he could get the chance too, and she looked at him out of breath and confused.

"I'm not trying to get you pregnant here, Brie." He laughed, also out of breath.

She nodded and realized they were unprotected. She smiled and pecked his lips. "You're a good boyfriend. I don't know anyone that has that will power."

He nodded and pulled her close to him. "I expect you to make it up to me later, when we have access to a condom." He smirked, and she pushed him away playfully.

"Did you bring out towels?" She asked, looking around. He shook his head and she rolled her eyes. "Great thinking Troy."

He laughed and swam over to the other side. "I'm kidding. I brought one towel for me. But I'm obviously gonna let you use it." She swam over to him and handed him his bathing suit. He slipped them on underwater and jumped out of the pool. He held out the towel for her and she jumped out as well, quickly getting wrapped up in it. "And Troy?" He looked at her, waiting for her question. "What's with you and pools?" She giggled and he rolled his eyes.

He put his arm around her waist, and they both walked inside, shutting the screen door behind them. They walked up to the room, and as soon as she shut the door, he was pinning her against the wall. He played with the towel, and it fell to the ground, leaving her completely nude.

"What are you doing?" She asked, and he was just staring her up and down.

"I spot condoms." He glanced over at the table, and she started laughing.

* * *

"I wanna take you out later." Troy said, turning his attention away from the TV. They were wrapped up in a blanket, clothed underneath, and cuddled together on the couch. They were watching a college basketball game, one of Troys favorites. Gah, she couldn't wait to give him his present!

"Mmm, and where do you want to take me?" She asked, looking up at him. He was leaning against the edge of the couch and she was positioned in between his legs.

"Somewhere nice and expensive." He said, and she giggled. "We haven't been on a date. I think it's about time we go on one."

"And what do you plan on wearing to this fancy place?"

"You don't think Chad has dressy attire? Well, Brie, he does." Troy replied, making Gabriella smile. "Did you get any fancy clothing today?"

"Hm, maybe. You'll just have to see." Of course she did. She bought a lot of dresses. In case something like this happened. She was prepared.

* * *

I like Troyella fluff, sorry :D


	23. Red Hot

"Can you please hurry up? I think you've been in there for over an hour." Troy banged his fist against the bathroom door and sighed. He placed his forehead on the door and waited impatiently.

"I'm almost done!" Gabriella yelled from inside the bathroom. Troy just stood there, slightly annoyed.

For another five minutes Troy was leaning against the door, mumbling random words to himself. The door opening threw him off guard and he fell frontward in the bathroom.

"I didn't know you were _that_ anxious to go." Gabriella giggled and Troy looked up from the floor at her and scoffed. She held out her hand and he grabbed it, allowing her to help him up.

"Yeah well you take fore-" Troy stopped when he was off the floor and directly in front of Gabriella. His mouth slightly opened, and he just stared, lost for words. Gabriella was wearing a tight, silky, red dress that hugged her curves like a goddess. Her hair wasn't in it's usually waves, just more curled and perfected. She wasn't wearing much make up either, only the necessities and red lipstick. Troy grinned and his eyes traveled down to her body. Her olive skin was glowing and her long legs were making Troy uneasy. She was perfect. "You look..like.." He was too distracted by her that he could barely get the words out.

"Mmm, thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself." Gabriella giggled again and walked past him to the bedroom. His eyes were locked on her hips, swaying as she walked. He suddenly felt his member growing larger. He shook his body and head, trying to calm himself down.

"Me? I'm just wearing a plain suit..You..you're beautiful." He was finally able to speak when he stepped into the bedroom. Gabriella was still laughing as she got to the door.

"Lets go, romeo."

* * *

"Troy, did I mention how amazing this place is?" Gabriella said, looking around the place in awe. She looked at shocked as when Troy first saw her tonight.

"Yeah, about ten times." He laughed and picked up his glass of water to take a sip. He brought her to some fancy French restaurant that Chad suggested. She always wanted to go to France. It was her dream place. Everyone, literally everyone, was wearing a dress or tuxedo here. It kind of made Troy feel poor. He didn't even know how Chad managed to get them reservations.

"Well..it's amazing. Again." She giggled and reached over the table to grab his hand. He politely grabbed hers as well, and they both shared a smile. "I love it Troy. It couldn't be a more perfect night."

"The only thing that's perfect is you babe. You make all these people look like shit."

Gabriella laughed and hit Troy on his hand. "Don't use that language here. They could kick us out!"

"Brie, I don't think they are going to kick us out if we say _shit_." Troy laughed again and pulled his hand back to grab the menu. He looked through it, raising both eyebrows. Everything in the damn menu was some three course meal that he wasn't so excited about. They can't have some expensive burger?

"Troy? Are you having a difficult time picking something out?" Gabriella asked, noticing Troys expression.

"Sort of. What are you getting?" Troy looked up from the menu to Gabriella, her menu was set down on the table.

"Chicken with truffles. It's good, you should get it." Gabriella suggested and Troy made a digusted face.

"Chicken with chocolate? That sounds awful." Gabriella started laughing and Troy just stared at her confused. She didn't think that was nasty?

"Troy, sweetie, not chocolate truffles. They are mushrooms." Gabriella continued to laugh, and Troy slumped down in his seat. How embarrassing.

He made an 'oh' face and placed the menu down. "I guess i'll get that too."

* * *

"Wait, how much?" Troy asked the waiter that was hovering over the pair, looking slightly annoyed.

"$360. Is that an issue?" The waiter looked down at Troy, both hands across his chest. Troys eyes widened and he could hear Gabriella giggling.

"We only got chicken, mushrooms, and some cake. How is that $360?" It's not that he didn't have the money. He did. He was just confused on why they don't have the prices in the damn menu.

"Truffles are very expensive sir. I'm sorry, but you can't leave without paying."

"Yeah, yeah I have the money." Troy pulled his wallet out of his front pocket and searched for the money. He placed it on the check holder, and scoffed when the waiter left.

"Troy, are you okay?" Gabriella was still giggling, she was actually having a hard time trying to stop. His facial expression when he heard the amount was just so funny. He's apparently never been anywhere like this. Gabriella has, countless times. That's all Nick did for her.

"Can we just leave now? I wanna get home." Troy said while standing up. He had a small grin on his face, but he tried not to let Gabriella notice. She grabbed her small bag and stood up, nodding. They both walked to the car hand in hand, laughing at each others small jokes. During the car ride they sat in a comfortable silence, holding each others hands. Gabriella suggested that they go to Marissas again, but Troy just wanted to go home and get rest. After Gabriella begged and pleaded, he finally agreed.

"We can't even call her to tell her we're coming. I hate the element of surprise." Troy told her honestly. She laughed and held onto his hand tighter. He always seemed nervous when it came to his family.

"Maybe you should buy a cell phone than." She stated and he rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you should buy a cell phone than." He mocked and she smacked him on his arm. "Ow, okay I'll get a cell phone later." He said, using one hand to rub his arm, and the other to grab the wheel.

"Good boy." She joked and soon closed her eyes, slowly drifting to sleep.

* * *

"I swear, they are the cutest little things ever." Gabriella told Marissa, who was cradling her daughter to sleep. Her son was sleeping in his crib, but her daughter always had a hard time.

"Thank you. But sometimes they are such a handful." Marissa told Gabriella, and they both giggled. Troy was downstairs with Adam, doing guy stuff, or whatever. When Gabriella and Troy got to the house, Adam and Marissa both seemed happy they came. Gabriella decided to get to know Troys sister more, and he decided it was time he learned more about his sisters husband.

"At least they have the looks." Gabriella smiled as she watched the baby slowly close her eyes. Marissa gently put her in her crib, and sighed in relief.

"Finally." Marissa wiped imaginary sweat off her forehead and Gabriella giggled. "Come on, lets go talk and let them sleep." Gabriella nodded and followed Marissa out of the room and into her master bedroom. Gabriella sat down on the edge of the bed, and Marissa sat down right next to her.

"What about you Gabriella? Do you want any kids?" Gabriella looked down, not knowing what to say. Of course she wanted kids at some point, she just wasn't ready now. She really didn't give much thought into it. "I mean, I know it's hard considering what's going on now..But in the future? With Troy?"

Gabriella couldn't help but smile. Yes, she wanted kids with Troy. No one else. "I guess, we'll have to see where life takes us." She kept doubting herself in being able to have a normal life. Would they ever have a normal life together? Could she give him a family?

"I hope, I would love to see mini Troys running around." Marissa giggled and Gabriella joined in.

"With their little cocky grins like him." They both exploded into laughter, falling back against the bed.

"Ah, I thought I was the only one that noticed how he does that!" Marissa said in between laughs. Gabriella loved Troys sister. She was like the sister Gabriella never had.

After everyone said their goodbyes, Gabriella was fast asleep in the car and Troy smiled when he looked at her. He loved watching her sleep. Gabriellas head was turned away from Troys view though, and he couldn't really see her face. Little did he know she wasn't really sleeping. She didn't really want to talk right now, so she just pretended to sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about what Marissa said. About kids, having a family. They also discussed marriage. Gabriella wanted that all before when she was with Nick, but was it really possible now? Would things ever be normal? Everyday they had to worry what the future held for them. They were always in danger. And it was her fault.

"Brie, wake up." Troy gently shook Gabriella, his attention still on the road. "We're almost home." Gabriella eventually did fall to sleep after a few minutes of thinking. Now she didn't want to wake up. "Gabriella." Troy kept shaking her and she groaned. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the car, still half asleep.

"You can't wake me up when we get there?" She asked, her voice low.

"No, we have to talk. Are you okay?" Troy asked, pulling his hand back to the wheel.

"We can talk when we get home." Home. Was it really home?

"You acted differently when we left, and it's been bugging me. What did you two talk about?"

"Nothing Troy. And nothings wrong. I'm just tired."

Troy nodded, but he wasn't completely convinced. He knew something was wrong with her. He would get it out of her at the house.

"Alright, but Gabriella you know I'm here for y-" Troy stopped speaking and looked closer in front of him, his eyes squinting. Gabriella looked confused, but when she turned to look out the window she gasped. The car made a sudden stop, and they both ran out of the car. They both walked closer, making sure it wasn't their imagination. Gabriella listened closely to the loud sounds of the police and firetrucks coming down the road. The house was on fire. And they didn't know if anyone was inside.

**

* * *

Whoa, right? Sorry but everything couldn't be okay forever :(. Something was eventually going to happen. So here we go, drama once again. Get readddyy. **


	24. Gone

"Oh my god!" Gabriella threw her hand over her mouth and noticed Troy did the same. They both stood there in shock, not sure what to do. They couldn't go inside. The whole house was in flames.

"They're in there.." Troy said, sadness filling his voice. Gabriella put her face in Troys chest, and he wrapped his hands around her. They were praying no one was inside. She sobbed into his chest and he couldn't help but let a tear fall. He watched as the firefighters tried to distinguish the flames, and one came up to him.

"Is this your house?" The fireman asked Troy, and he couldn't respond. He was still in shock."Do you know if anyone is inside?" Troy then shook his head and the man left, yelling at some other firefighters to go inside.

* * *

Troy sat down with Gabriella on the curb, her head was leaning on his shoulder. When the firemen finished putting out the flames, they told Troy that if anyone was inside, they weren't alive. They didn't find anyone inside. Troy hoped that meant they weren't home at the time. They would just have to wait.

"What if they're dead, Troy?" Gabriella looked up at Troy, tears in her eyes.

"Sh, I'm sure they are fine.." He held her closer, rubbing her back. He hated waiting.

After Gabriella was done crying, she fell to sleep in Troys arms. He was holding onto her tightly, trying not to fall to sleep as well. He was still waiting for some news. He couldn't imagine them really being dead. His eyes were slowly closing and he couldn't open them back up. He was too tired..

"Troy!" Troys eyes quickly fluttered open and he felt Gabriella shift in his arms. In front of him Chad was running with Taylor, both looking extremely real. And alive.

"Chad!" Troy lifted himself up, helping Gabriella as well. They both started running at the couple and met them halfway. Gabriella ran to Taylor and hugged her. Taylor just hugged back, completely confused. Troy lunged at Chad, but not to hug him. He punched him right in the face. "You idiot! We thought you were dead!"

Chad held onto his bloody nose while Troy screamed at him. He looked at the house and his eyes widened. Taylor and Gabriella ran over to Chad, helping him balance.

"Troy! Don't punch him!" Gabriella looked directly at Troy who was spinning around in anger.

"Oh my god what happened to the house?" Taylor interrupted, looking straight at the house with her hand over her mouth.

"We got here and the house was on fire! We thought you guys were inside!" Troy told them, and they both looked upset.

Chad removed his hand from his nose and shook his head. "I...How did this happen?"

"I don't know!" Troy was still angry and Gabriella got in front of him, trying to calm him down. His face suddenly changed. "Where's Dylan?" He asked, his voice loud.

"Back at the shack." Taylor responded, trying to get rid of the blood on Chads face. Troy was overcome with relief, and suddenly felt bad for punching Chad.

"Where were you guys?" Gabriella looked away from Troy who was breathing heavily and looked at Taylor and Chad.

"We went to get something to eat." Chad told her, still looking at the house. Taylor was mumbling things that probably Gabriella could understand. Everything was gone. The clothes, Troys present, the guns, the memories. Everything.

* * *

"I'll miss you Gabriella." Taylor told her as she hugged her tightly. They were both crying hard.

"I wish you didn't have to go." Gabriella pleaded between her cries. Taylor was going to stay with her mother now that she didn't have a house. Chad told her it was safe now that John was dead. Chad and Dylan were also staying with Taylor. They didn't have anything really left to do back here. They werent in danger like Troy and Gabriella were.

"I do too. Be safe okay?" Taylor said one last time and disappeared into the car. Gabriella wiped her nose and sniffled a bit. Her only friend was leaving her. But it was for the best.

"I don't think this is a good idea." Chad rolled the window down to let Troy hear him. Troy shook his head.

"It's the right thing to do. I don't need your help anymore man. Everything's fine." Troy tried to smile, but it came off as a frown.

"But we still don't know who tried to burn the house down Troy."

"I'll deal with it. You've helped me so much Chad. I can't thank you enough. Now go be with your girlfriend, somewhere safe. Me and Gabs will be fine."

Chad just nodded and Troy noticed how he looked upset. "I'll miss you man. Be careful." He went to start the car, but quickly looked back at Troy. "If you need anything..I mean anything, you know where to find me." Chad told Troy exactly where they were staying. He would always be there to help him out.

"Thanks Chad. You be careful too." Chad smiled and started the car, soon driving away. Troy walked over to Gabriella who was in the car, still crying.

"I wish we would've said goodbye to Dylan. He was like a best friend to me." Gabriella told Troy when he got in the car. He nodded in agreement and grabbed her hand. "Where do we go now Troy?" She looked at him, tears coming down her face.

"Anywhere away from here." Troy started driving. He just wanted things to be okay. For once.

* * *

"I hate motels." Gabriella pulled her dress off, leaving her in a bra and underwear. They didn't have any other clothes now. Chad gave Troy the money he had on him, telling him it was okay. Taylor had plenty of money back home. So money for them wasn't a problem.

"I do too babe. So much." Troy walked to the bed after he took of his clothes. He was only in his boxers. Which he hated wearing at motels. He felt disgustingly dirty.

"How much money do we have anyway?" Gabriella asked him as he got under the covers. She joined him and he pulled her close to him.

"600 or so. It won't last if we keep staying here." Troy kissed Gabriella on the forehead and she smiled. How could such an amazing night change in only a few minutes?

"Troy.." Gabriella mumbled and he looked down at her. "What's wrong babe?" He asked and she let out a sigh.

"Maybe we should go to my apartment. We wont have to waste money."

"No Gabriella. Whoever set the house on fire would know to look there. If it's Richard, or anyone else, they'll know."

She sighed again. "Then where will we go? We can't stay here forever."

"Maybe we can stay at Marissas for a little. Until this all blows off." Gabriella suggested after Troy didn't answer.

"I don't know Brie..I don't want to put her in danger. She has a family now." He played with her hand underneath the covers and frowned. "We'll see tomorrow."

Gabriella smiled and closed her eyes. At least she would have Troy at the end of the day. That's all that mattered.-

* * *

Okay, so yeah that's the chapter! Thanks for the reviews once again, it means a lot (: Oh, and i have a new story up on my page. So go check it out! It's kind of along the lines of this genre. About spies, so go check it out and review please! If i see that people like it, I'll continue it. Bye!


	25. Love And Cookies

"This means a lot Riss. I promise you we will be out of here soon." Marissa smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her. Troy decided this was the only place they could go now. He realized this was dangerous, but there was no other option.

"Troy, can you try not to worry for a little bit?" Troy snapped back into reality and looked at his girlfriend sitting on the bed. He walked over to her and sat on the mattress, a few inches away from her.

"It's hard not to babe." He responded and she pulled him by the shirt.

"Yes, it is. We're together, we're okay. There's nothing to worry about right now." She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know we've been through a lot lately. But why live if all we do is worry? What's the point if that's all we have?"

Troy knew she was right. She was always right. He couldn't not worry though. Not until everyone in his life was safe.

"The house we were staying at was just burnt down yesterday Gabriella."

Uh oh. He was using full names. Not good. "Troy, I know. We don't know who did it, or even why. So right now, I think we should just relax. We're alive. Everyone's alive. That should be enough."

He sighed and fell back on the bed. Life sucked.

* * *

"Hey Riss." Marissa looked away from the babies sleeping in their cribs and at Troy. A small smile appeared on her face and Troy closed the door behind him.

"Where's Gabriella?" Marissa asked, and she sat down on the couch in the room.

"Sleeping. Where's Adam?" Troy leaned against the wall and smiled at his sister.

"Grocery shopping." She replied and he nodded. "Are you okay Troy? You look angry or something."

"I'm okay. I just have a lot on my mind right now. Things haven't been great lately."

She made an o shape with her mouth and nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, Adam is taking the kids to his mothers."

It did make him feel better, but he honestly wanted his sister to go with them. "It does."

She noticed he was still uneasy. "Troy, I'm a big girl. I can handle myself. Plus, I have two men to protect me." She giggled and he smiled. That was exactly what he wanted to hear.

"I missed you sis." Troy told her, still smiling. She smiled back and nodded. "Me too bro, me too. But can you go now? I wanna sleep." He rolled his eyes and left the room. Sisters.

* * *

"Hi baby." Gabriella smiled when she saw Troy standing over her. She yawned and sat up. How could she still be tired after so much sleep?

"How long was I out?" She asked and Troy laughed. "A few hours."

"Where's everybody?" She stretched her arms over her head and cracked her neck. "Mmm."

"Adam, Marissa and the kids are going to his moms for the weekend, then they are leaving the twins there. So for right now, it's just you and me." He winked and she suppressed a giggle.

"I like the sound of that, Bolton." She jumped off the bed excitedly and he pulled her over to him.

"I think we should do some coupley stuff today. I think we deserve that much." He smiled and wrapped his arms around her small waist. She smiled and nodded.

"And what stuff would that be?" She asked, this time letting out a giggle. He was so cute.

He leaned in and placed his mouth right near her ear. He kissed the spot softly and she laughed more, it tickled her. "Well, I only know a few things couples like to do.." He whispered huskily in her ear, and she got the chills. She always did when she was with him.

"Yeah?" She quietly moaned when he nibbled at her ear. "They like to.." He moved his lips down to her neck, causing her to close her eyes. She suddenly forgot what she wanted to say. "Bake.."

He pulled back, laughing hard at her. She blushed immensely. She didn't mean to say bake. It just sort of came out. Guess she was hungry.

"Bake? Really? I thought we were having a moment here." He joked, making her blush more. She pouted and tried getting out of his grasp. He just held onto her harder. "I'm kidding. Baking really..turns me on."

She gasped and punched him in the chest. "Shut up! I didn't mean to say it!" She pushed him away as he was rubbing his chest.

"Ow, I was being serious." He looked serious. "Let's go bake then Brie. If you really want to so much that it's all you're thinking about." His serious face then turned into a grin and he started laughing.

"Asshole." She walked past him to the door. It was time to bake.

* * *

"So are you sure the word 'bake' isn't some code name for hot sex?" Troy asked while leaning over the counter. He was watching her stir the cookie batter, and it kind of turned him on. Just like he said it would.

"I swear to god if you keep reminding me, I will kill you." She glared at him and continued, ignoring his laughs.

"You know I'm kidding babe." Troy smiled at her and she smiled back. She set the bowl down on the counter and turned around to put on the oven. She felt something hit her back and turned to Troy. He had the spoon in his hand, and was smirking evilly.

"You didn't."

"Oh, but I did." He flicked the spoon at her again, and she looked down at her chest, the cookie dough all over her shirt.

"You're dead now Bolton!" She screamed and lunged at him. He dropped the spoon in the bowl and quickly picked up a chunk of the cookie dough. He ran to the other side of the counter, Gabriella on the opposite end. They were moving from side to side, unsure of their next move. She reached over at the bowl and grabbed a chunk also, well prepared. She smirked and he grinned. They both started throwing small pieces at each other until there was none left in their hands.

"You look pretty sexy as a cookie." Troy joked, still grinning. They both ran at the bowl, colliding with each other.

"Taste the dough, ass!" She stuffed the cookie dough in his mouth and he tried closing it, not allowing her. They were both trying not to laugh, but Gabriella was weak. She started cracking up and fell to the floor. He dropped next to her, spitting the cookie dough out on the side of him. They both laughed until they couldn't breathe.

"I guess we won't be able to actually cook them now.." Gabriella giggled as she looked around the room. Pieces of cookie dough were scattered all over the kitchen, mostly on Troy and Gabriella. They both leaned their backs against the counter, trying to catch their breath.

"We do have to clean this up, you know that right?" Troy asked. She giggled, grabbing a chocolate chip off his cheek and threw it in her mouth. "Mhm."

"So you taste me, but I can't taste you?" She nodded, smiling innocently. Her smile soon faded and he had no emotion on his face. He quickly pressed his lips against hers and she yanked at his hair. They both tried standing up, not breaking the kiss. He entered his tongue inside her mouth, and played with hers harshly. She moaned loudly in his mouth and wrapped her legs around his waist when they got up. He placed her down on the kitchen counter, pushing the bowls off to the side. He pulled away from her lips for a moment and she lifted his shirt over his neck.

"Troy.." She moaned when he latched his mouth onto her neck, sucking on it roughly. She dug her nails into his bare skin, and he quickly pulled her shirt off. "We can't do this...here..." She managed to get out as he kissed down her chest. He mumbled against her cleavage and picked her up, her legs still attached to him. He carried her off the kitchen counter, his lips connecting with hers. Troy was halfway out of the kitchen when he slipped on the dough that stuck to the floor. He fell down back first, and she landed right on top of him.

"Oh god." She started giggling making him laugh, and she put her head against his chest. He covered his eyes with his hands and continued to chuckle while shaking his head.

* * *

"I don't want to hurt you." Troy told Gabriella, but two hands pushed him backwards.

"Don't be a pussy. You won't hurt me." Gabriella grinned and jumped in place, both fists in the air. Gabriella asked if he would teach her how to fight, but just the basics. She wanted to be able to protect herself if somehow Troy wasn't there.

"Yeah, I could. You're fragile." He laughed and a hand came at his face, but he backed away at the last minute. "Whoa, Gabriella. Chill. You don't really have to punch me."

Gabriella giggled and pushed her bangs out of her face. Her hair was in a ponytail and she let her bangs cover her forehead. She was wearing shorts that Marissa let her borrow, and a tank top. Troy was shirtless, leaving him only in his shorts. She suggested that he didn't wear a shirt. He didn't ask why, but it was because she liked seeing him sweat. And his abs were just fun to look at.

"Treat me as if I'm a killer going after your family." Gabriella said, her fists still in the air. She lunged at Troy and he backed away once again. He started laughing, and she glared at him.

"First, you are my family now. And second, you're way to hot to be a killer." He winked and she swung again. He ducked and rammed into her legs, causing her to fall. She groaned and stood back up. He stood up as well, still laughing.

"Shut up." She kicked him in his shin and he fell back on the ground. She smiled happily and skipped around him in circles.

For the next two hours Troy finally got Gabriella to ease up with all the punching and kicking. He calmed her down and actually taught her a few things, without it hurting him. He taught her how to defend herself and how to throw a proper punch. He was satisfied with her progress.

"You've changed since when I met you, Brie." Troy sat down on a stool in the kitchen, Gabriella sat down on the other side of the counter. She took a sip of her drink and looked at him, not sure what he meant by that.

"Good or bad?" Gabriella asked, spinning around on the stool. It was one of those spinney stools.

"Really good. You're like a whole different person now. Stronger.." Troy stopped when Gabriella smiled. She agreed. Before she met Troy she was a weakling and she wasn't really able to take care of herself. She knew she could do that now, even if Troy was always by her side, doing it for her.

"Mhm." She giggled and he looked around the kitchen, suddenly frowning. She did the same, and huffed. They never cleaned the kitchen.

* * *

Only a few more chapters left...I'm sad its coming to an end :/ But yeah, like I said I do have another story, so if you would so kindly go read it and review :D Even without reviews I'm still going to write it. I enjoy it (:


	26. Again

"I didn't expect it to take three hours!" Gabriella sat down on the stool, both feet in the air. She took a deep breath and glared when Troy chuckled out loud. "You just pretended to clean the bowl and watched me the whole time. Ass."

"That's because you look sexy when you clean. Especially the floor, bending over.." He was cut short when a wooden spoon came right into his direction, almost hitting his face. "Hey!"

"Curse my aim." She mumbled under her breath and Troy smirked, making her groan. She was never good at actually hitting the target.

"Hey, so I was thinking we could go out later." He walked closer to Gabriella who was still glaring at him. He just kept smirking, like the cocky person he was.

"What did you have in mind Bolton?" She asked, her eyebrow furrowing.

"I don't know. I didn't give it much thought. Just somewhere..out of this house. We have all weekend to relax. Today I want to get some air. What do you say?" He smiled at her, a full smile that showed all his bright teeth.

She couldn't stay mad at him for long. His smiles were her weakness. They always are. "If I get to pick." They both grinned happily. He walked in front of her and picked her up from the chair, holding her bridal style. She squealed in his arms and he shut her up by planting a sweet kiss on her lips.

* * *

"Maybe we should go to the house and see if there's any clues to find out who did it." Gabriella suggested as she slipped on her sandals. Troy sat down next to he on the bed and also put on his shoes. He shook his head as he did it and Gabriella sighed. "Why not, Troy?"

"Because we don't even know if someone actually did it. We weren't there." Troy told her in all seriousness. He stood up and walked over to the closet, pulling out a dark blue t-shirt. He threw it over his body and turned back to face Gabriella.

She sat up straight and smiled. He looked good. Like always. "I'm just saying..I take back what I said. We should be a little more scared. People are still trying to kill us." She said honestly. She hated to admit it, but it was true. She told him the whole speech about not worrying, and that's kind of what they should've been doing. She was being selfish. She just wanted to have things like back at the house.

"You tell me that now? Gabriella, you were right about not worrying. We shouldn't be wasting the day doing that. Alright yeah. People are still trying to kill us. But we don't know shit at the moment. We can't live under a rock. You basically said it yourself. No backing out of it now." She slowly nodded at his reply. To worry or not to worry? That is the question.

"Let's just go bowling now. I haven't done it in years."

* * *

"I suck."

"Oh trust me. I know." Troy grinned and Gabriella lifted the bowling ball at him, like she was about to throw it. He picked his hands up in defense and laughed. She just glared and turned back to the pins. She pretty much forgot how to bowl.

"Here, let me help you." Troy walked over to Gabriella, still grinning. She shook her head and threw the ball down the lane. It went straight into the gutter and she pouted. Troy started laughing, making her pout more. "Are you sure you don't want help?"

Gabriella shook her head angrily and put her hands across her chest. "What are you? Some bowling expert?"

"No, but at least I know how to bowl." She glared at him as he grabbed the bowl when it came back up. He handed it over to her and she harshly grabbed it from him.

"Just shut up and help me already." He nodded at her and put one arm around her waist and the other on the hand she was bowling with. She smiled to herself feeling sort of comfortable.

"Now, just follow through with it. It's not that hard." He told her and she nodded, focusing on the pins. He held onto her hand as they started walking and tried to take control. She allowed him and they both let the ball go. When it hit the pins she squealed and turned to face Troy. He was smiling, both eyes still looking at the pins. She jumped on him, putting both her legs around his waist.

"We actually hit them!" She grinned widely, proud of her accomplishment. Well, theirs.

He nodded, just as ecstatic as her. They both shared a quick kiss and he put her gently on the ground. "Now just try to do it alone." She then sighed. Hello gutter.

After three games of bowling, and Troy beating Gabriella all times, they decided it was time to go home. She didn't hit the gutter EVERY time. But, she wasn't really getting strikes either. She bowled a 30, a 70 and a 90. She couldn't lie though. She was proud of herself.

"You're a show off, Troy." Gabriella told Troy as they walked out of the bowling alley. He grinned and wrapped one hand around her. He pulled her close, and she rested her head on his body.

"I'm sorry that I actually know how to get a strike." He joked and heard Gabriella groan.

"Shut up. I told you I haven't bowled in a while." She told him and he just laughed. He started walking ahead of her to the drivers seat of the car. Gabriella laughed with Troy also, her cheeks red in embarassment. "Do we really have to go back no-"

Troy held his hand up to her, stopping her from speaking. She looked at him confused, but he didn't say a word. He just stood frozen next to the door. His eyes were locked on the car.

"Troy what's wron-"

"Sh." Troy cut her off again and she groaned. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" She asked, still oblivious to what he was doing.

"It's like a beeping sound.." Troy bent down under the car and came back up two seconds later. His eyes were widened and he started to run. "Get back! Now!" He screamed and Gabriella started to walk back in confusion. He got to her side and started pulling her away from the car. Halfway to the bowling alley, Gabriella heard a loud explosion, and they both went flying forward.

"Shit.." Gabriella murmured to herself and looked at the car, blown to pieces. She groaned in pain and sat up. Her wrist was throbbing in pain. She must've landed on it. She looked to the side of her where Troy was lying face first on the pavement. She gasped and shook him with her other hand. "Troy!" She heard a noise come from him and he started to lift himself off the ground slowly. "Troy are you okay?" She asked, still unaware of what really just happened. His jaw was tightened, and he looked like he was about to pass out.

"I'm f-fine." He stuttered and picked himself up off the ground. He rubbed his cheek softly and looked at his hand. It was covered in blood.

"Your face!" She gasped again and held onto her wrist to try and ease the pain.

"I'll be fine. Are you okay?" He helped Gabriella up from the floor and studied her hand covering her wrist. "Did you fall on it?" He asked and she nodded.

"What just happened Troy?"

He sighed and wiped the blood off his face, showing his scratches clearly. He only had a few, besides that he wasn't hurt as badly as Gabriella. "I think someone just tried to kill us. Again"

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" Troy asked Gabriella who was sitting down on the hospital bed. She had a bandage wrapped around her wrist. She only sprained it, nothing big.

"Troy, for the 100th time, I'm okay. It just hurts a little." Troy nodded and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back. The police want to talk about the explosion."

Gabriella's eyes widened and she grabbed his arm to stop him from leaving. "Are you going to tell them everything?"

Troy shook his head. "I can't, Brie. They won't do anything. I'm just going to say it's not our car." Gabriella nodded and Troy left the room. She wished the police could help. But Troy was right, they couldn't handle what Troy and Gabriella were dealing with. She didn't really think anyone could.

Troy came back into the room a few minutes later, a frown on his face. "We can go now." Troy helped Gabriella off the bed and held onto her waist. He wasn't letting her out of his sight.

"Troy.." Troy looked down at Gabriella with pleading eyes. He didn't want to talk about it. "What are we going to do now? We have no car. No way back. And it seems like everywhere we go, it's not safe."

He sighed and continued walking with her. "We're going to find the damn bastards and kill them."

* * *

Oh dip! Gosh, I love Zac Efron. I was watching 40 most shocking breakups or something, and as soon as I turn it on, it's Zanessa -_- like kill me now please? 3 chapters left!


	27. It's Time

Troy placed the payphone back and took a seat next to Gabriella on the bench. "Chads coming down here alone. He said he would help."

Gabriella nodded and leaned her head on Troys shoulder. "I'm scared, Troy."

"Chad's good with these things. He'll find out who's doing this. I promise."

"Troy..we both know who's doing this." Gabriella whispered, not sure if she should really say what's on her mind. Troys eyes shot down to her and he shook his head.

"We don't know that Brie. We don't."

Gabriella sighed and placed her hand in his. As much as he tried to deny it, she was right.

* * *

Troy and Gabriella both stayed on the bench all night, not even caring about the cold night. Troy let Gabriella borrow his jacket but even then she was still freezing. They had no money for a cab, and no car to get back. They just needed to wait for Chad. However long he would take.

Gabriella opened her eyes when she heard a loud honk echo through her ears. She jerked upward in shock, causing Troy to squirm a little. His eyes quickly opened when she hit him on his arm.

"What?" Troy asked, sitting up straight. Gabriella nodded in the direction of the car and Troy smiled. Finally.

"Get in." Chad was in the car, the window rolled down, and a big frown on his face. Gabriella and Troy walked across the street and over to Chads car. After they got in Chad sped off, clearly irritated.

"Chad.." Troy sat down in the passengers seat, his whole body turned to Chad. Chad just focused on the road, his hand gripping the steering wheel hard.

"Don't. You both almost died. Again. This has to end." Chad told Troy and his eyes widened. He expected him to be mad about driving back out here. Not because they almost died.

"Did you find out anything?" Gabriella broke the silence from the backseat and Chad nodded in the mirror so Gabriella could see. Gabriella smiled. They were getting somewhere.

* * *

"Just make yourself comfortable." Troy told Chad as he walked into Marissas house. He studied the house and nodded.

"Who's house is this?" Chad asked Troy and he froze. Shit.

"Can we talk about that later? We have more important things to deal with right now."

Chad laughed to himself and sat down on the couch next to Troy. "Whatever."

"Can we hurry this up? I wanna finish this before Gabriella gets out of the shower."

Chad tilted his head in confusion. "Why can't she hear it?"

Troy sighed, slumping back against the couch. "She just doesn't need too. Now tell me what you got."

Chad just nodded, still not understanding. He began to speak and Troy sat up straight again, more interested in the conversation. "Good news or bad news first?"

Troy closed his eye halfway and scrunched his nose. That was a hard one. "Ah...fuck it. Give me the good news."

Chad chuckled and got more comfortable on the couch. "Alright, well, I did some research..Called some people. And guess what? Richards dead." Troy gasped in shock. Chad nodded and gave him a serious look. "Yup, they got to him. John was lying, he knew he was dead. They seemed to kill everybody off the list. Except.."

Troy sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Except Gabriella.." Chad looked at him and Troy knew that meant he was right. "She doesn't even belong on there..What if I talk to the people?"

"Troy, that would be impossible."

"And why's that?" Troy asked, amused.

Chad took a deep breath and sighed. "You remember hearing about Jacob right?" Troy nodded, letting him continue. "Well it's like a damn myth, bro. People think he's not real. But he is. And he's the person that's eliminating all these people. And he is possibly the person that blew up the house and your car. There's no way to get out of this."

Troys eyes widened in shock. No, not Jacob. Not the person everyone in this business feared. Hell, half of the state probably feared him. He was powerful, way to powerful. John had told him about Jacob once, telling him he should be the only person he ever feared. John was the one who mentioned Jacob the first time, everybody thought he was lying. But little did they know, he wasn't. He was the bosses of bosses, which literally meant..they were dead meat.

"Troy?" Chad asked, waving a hand in Troys face. Troy gulped and quickly pushed his hand away. "Do you think he heard about John?"

Chad shook his head. "I don't think so. But even if he knows, I don't think he cares. He never gave a shit about his brother. Just himself, you know that."

"We're never going to get out of this are we?"

"Not unless you kill the bastard. We both know that's impossible."

"Is it?" Troy questioned, trying to answer it himself.

"Troy, no one's ever met him." Troy was about to speak when Chad cut him off. "No, Troy. That doesn't count. We don't know if he's even been telling the truth. I doubt they are really brothers. He could've been lying."

Troy ignored Chads last statement and kept his mouth shut. They needed a plan. And a damn good one.

"Troy, what are you thinking?" Chad asked Troy, who was zoned off. Troys head quickly jerked up and he frowned.

"We have to kill him Chad, it's the only way I can save Gabriella."

"I told you, it's impossible. And Troy, even if you did..which is unlikely. He has friends, people would still be looking for you. They always will."

Troy shook his head at Chads theory. "I have a plan. And you might not like it. I'm not even sure I like it."

"Don't stop there." Chad nudged Troy, and he slightly smiled. "You need to find a way to tell him I want to hand over Gabriella."

It sounded crazy, yes. But this was the only option left. He loved her more than life itself, but they couldn't live like this forever. They had to take risks. No matter how big they are.

* * *

_The next day._

"Gabriella, can you please just put it on?" Troy asked impatiently. Gabriella grunted and shook her head in anger. "Can't you see it's not going on?" She yelled, irritated. Troy rolled his eyes and helped her put on the vest.

"It's heavy." She whined and tried to walk in a straight line.

"I don't care. I'm not letting you get hurt." He chuckled watching her wobble and grabbed onto her arm to balance her.

"I'm gonna trip and die with this!" She groaned and pushed him off, making her way to the dresser. She grabbed one of her black t-shirts and threw it over the vest. "I look like I gained 100 pounds."

"No ones going to be focusing on how much you weigh. They're just going to want you dead." He sighed and she sat down next to him on the bed.

"Troy..I'll be fine. I know you won't let anything happen to me. I trust you." She smiled and looked into his eyes. His were practically screaming with worry.

"What if something goes wrong? What if the plan doesn't work out?"

"Nothing will go wrong." She brushed her fingers over his hand and kissed him on the cheek. "I have faith in you.

"Gabriella.." She shook her head to make him stop talking, but he couldn't obey. "This might be the last time we ever..." He had a hard time trying to finish, but she smiled again, allowing him to continue. "I need you to know I love you. So much."

She pecked his lips and pulled back, her eyes still closed. "I know. I will always know." Troy turned away so he couldn't face her, and let a single tear fall. He didn't notice Gabriella watching, but she saw it. And it killed her inside.

* * *

"Taylors here?" Gabriella squealed and jumped in the seat, excited.

"Yes, and Dylan. We needed all the help we could get."

Gabriella smiled and looked over at Troy. He wasn't looking as happy.

"Where are we picking them up?" She turned from Troy, the smile gone.

"The motel." Chad continued to the drive the car, not looking at the backseat where Troy and Gabriella were.

"Do you remember the plan?" Troy asked Gabriella out of the blue, and she nodded. He hasn't stopped asking her that.

"Troy, stop. I know what to do. We meet up with them. You hand me over. We run. And then boom, the place explodes, they die, and we live happily ever after." Troy faked a smile and looked back out the window. How could he tell her it would never be easy? Even if this plan worked..there would always be people looking for them. He just couldn't bring himself to tell her. Not yet.

"Troy?" Gabriella whispered, waking Troy up from his thoughts.

"What?" He asked, no emotion in his voice. She sighed and grabbed his hand.

"Everything will be fine. Okay?" She smiled, trying to comfort him. Too bad it didn't work.

"I know." He lied.

* * *

"God damn, how much longer? This vest is making me hot." Gabriella whined, fanning herself with her hand.

Troy looked at her and shook his head. "Don't take it off."

"Oh my god Troy, I know. Stop." She groaned and rolled the window down, sticking her head out. She giggled as the wind hit her face and Troy smiled a little. How was she the strong one right now? It was always Troy.

"Guys will you quit it. We're almost there. They said to be at the warehouse at 7." Chad looked over at the clock and then continued. "It's only 6. So chill."

"Hey Chad, how did you manage to get a hold of him anyway? I thought he was like impossible to reach?" Gabriella asked and soon cursed herself when Troy looked at her, shocked.

"How the hell did you know that?" Troy asked her, his voice harsh.

She gulped and looked down.

"Gabriella! When the hell did I tell you about him?" He shouted, frightening Gabriella a bit. She looked up at him, trying to act innocent.

"I eavesdropped on you two.." Troys eyes widened and Gabriella quickly responded to his expression "I'm sorry! You just wouldn't let me know! I needed to know what was going on!"

Troy groaned loudly and Gabriella heard Chad mumble something. "God dammit Gabriella."

"I'm sorry.." She pleaded, but he just looked away from her.

"I have my connections." Gabriella looked at Chad who was smiling. Way to ease the tension Chad. Way to ease it.

A few minutes later after a silent ride and Troy gritting his teeth, they made a stop at the motel, and Gabriella noticed a petite woman running at the car. A man was behind her, carrying a few bags and grunting. Gabriella giggled to herself and smiled widely.

"Taylor!" Gabriella ran out of the car, forgetting about the heavy vest. She fell forward and groaned. Troy quickly turned his head to hear and shook it. Clumsy.

* * *

Troy changed his seat and sat next to Chad, allowing the girls to talk gossip, or whatever they do. He didn't care. Dylan just sat in the back, sleeping. Not that it mattered, he wasn't going to have a little girl talk with them.

"Troy." Chad whispered and Troy looked to the backseat to make sure the girls couldn't hear. Troy mouthed a 'what?' to Chad when he turned to him.

"Cool down will you? You need to be relaxed for this." He whispered again, making sure not to catch the attention of the girls babbling in the back.

"I'm fine." Troy told him, which was obviously a lie. Chad just nodded, knowing better than to believe it.

When Chad got close to the warehouse he stopped the car and turned to Gabriella. She sighed and stopped talking to Taylor, who seemed equally upset. The fun was over.

"You ready?" Chad asked Gabriella and she nodded. He pulled out a hand gun from the glove compartment and handed it over to her. She grabbed it, her hands slightly shaking. She wasn't really good with the whole gun thing. Even if she did shoot it once and kill someone.

"Lets go." Troy interupted the moment and Gabriella squeezed out of the car. Chad rolled the window down and whistled to get Troys attention.

"What?"

"If something goes wrong, just talk into the earpiece. But be careful. And follow the plan." Chad told him and Troy nodded in response.

Troy and Gabriella soon disappeared from the car and Troy made sure to stand a few inches away from her.

"Hide the gun better Gabriella." Troy noticed the gun revealing itself tucked in her shirt. She groaned and turned around to face him.

"Stop it will you! I'm fucking sorry for listening to your damn conversation! But can you stop now? One of us could die in there! And here you are, trying to start a fight! Is this really a good time?" Gabriella stomped her foot and put her hand on her hips. She was pissed. "I don't want it to be like this Troy. Please, just stop."

Troy just stood there, not knowing what to say. Once again, she was right. But he wouldn't admit it. He just wanted to kiss her, one last time. He just couldn't. He wouldn't risk someone seeing and killing them both on the spot. He also wanted to tell her he had a gut feeling this would end bad. Again, he couldn't.

"I can't lose you..." Troy choked at the words and Gabriella sighed. She cupped his cheek in her hand and tried to smile for him. A few of his tears fell on her hand and she returned it with a few of her own tears.

"I love you, Troy. We'll be fine. We always are." Gabriella wiped away his tears and giggled nervously. "Ready Romeo?"

He pressed his finger to his lips and then placed it on hers. She blushed at his touch and he smiled. "Not really, Juliet."

* * *

AH two more chapters left! I'm excited :D


	28. Together, Forever

Gabriella and Troy made their way to the warehouse that was surrounded by black cars, extending all the way to the dock where the boats were. When Gabriella and Troy came here yesterday night and planted the explosives, it was peaceful looking out into the ocean. But now, it was dreadful. Just like a horror movie. Troy grabbed Gabriellas shoulder, being careful not to grip too hard. He had to make this somewhat believable.

"I love you Troy." Gabriella whispered right before they both walked inside. He cringed at the words but he had to be strong. For her. They both walked further into the warehouse, hearing the door slam shut behind them. Troy looked over his shoulder at the man that was smirking and blocking the door. His throat tightened and he gulped.

Gabriella studied the warehouse, making sure to take in all her surroundings. The warehouse was huge. Literally, like wow. Gabriella looked around at the crates, stacked neatly on top of each other. The crates were everywhere, from the front to the back of the warehouse.

"Ah, here we are." A man dressed in a suit walked over to Troy and Gabriella, a few men following behind. Troy looked in front to make sure the bombs were still intact and not removed. They weren't noticeable to a human eye, but Troy had a way of knowing if they were still there. The explosives were set to blow up when Troy told Chad to arm it. It was so small, no one should be able to notice.

"Hand her over, please." Troy stared at the man and laughed in his mind. This was the man everyone was so scared of? He was barely as tall as Troy, and not even buff. He looked like a little weakling. Maybe the power of his money did him wonders. Yeah, that had to be it.

"The money first." Troy demanded. The man walked closer to Troy and grinned. He put his hand up to stop the men from following.

"That's not how it works. I want the girl first." Troy would have never guessed this man in front of him would be Jacob. Never. Troy felt Gabriella shaking through her jacket and he gulped again. This wasn't easy.

"No, you listen to me. I have the girl, I decide how this works."

Jacob just laughed and backed away, his hand over his stomach. "You know I could kill you right now, right?" He asked and Troy chuckled.

"Then why don't you? I mean, I thought you wanted the girl just to kill her?" Troys grip around Gabriellas hand become tighter and he pulled her closer. He could tell she was scared. Probably just as much as him.

"I said I could. Not that I would. I would never kill someone who did my job for me, killing Nick. You did me a great deed. I owe you." Troys eyes widened. How did he know? "So Troy, tell me. What were your plans? To shoot me? Well let me tell you that wont be necessary. I know about Nick and Gabriella. And I even know about you killing my brother. There's no reason I want to kill her anymore."

Troy wasn't really sure how to respond to that. It seemed like everyone was a step ahead of Troy. "T-Then why do you want her? And why did you try to kill us?" He stuttered and pushed Gabriella behind him. There was no use in pretending now. They were screwed.

"She could be very useful to me. As could you Troy. And as for trying to kill you..Well, that was just for fun. I like messing with you."

Troys jaw tightened and his fists clenched. "So you're just playing a game? Go to hell, we would never work for you."

"I had a feeling you would say that." Jacob motioned his hands toward the pair and smiled. "It's a shame. It really is." All the guards walked in front of Jacob, like they were protecting him. They all lifted their guns up, aiming it at Troy. He walked more in front of Gabriella, not allowing a bullet to get past him. He turned to face her, only moving his body. He smiled at her and she looked up at him with teary eyes.

"This is not how it's going to end." Gabriella gave him a confused glance and Troy quickly pushed her back by some crates. He jumped near her, just in time to hear multiple gun shots going off. Gabriella was shielded by one of the crates and Troy was sat next to her while bullets were going around everywhere. They crawled further behind to the back of the room and hid behind some more crates. It was too far to get a good shot of killing them.

"What are you doing Troy?" Gabriella asked, holding her ears to block out the noise.

Troy flinched at the gun shots and pulled his gun out from his back. "You really think I wasn't prepared for this?" Troy smiled and peeked up, shooting at the guards and ducking back down to avoid the bullets. They were both breathing heavy. He managed to hit a few men, but there were so many. And his bullets were disappearing by the second. He threw the gun to the side and groaned.

"Gabriella I need you to get ready to run. But make sure you stay behind me okay?" Troy looked over at Gabriella. She wasn't shaking. And this time she didn't look scared. She looked brave. Just like he wanted. She nodded and he talked into his earpiece.

"Chad, when I say go. Do it." Gabriella saw Troy sigh and he grabbed onto her hand. "Ready?"

She nodded and he started to run. She ran by his side and he didn't allow her to get in front. Bullets were going off all around them, and Gabriella was thankful they weren't hitting them. When they got halfway to the other side of the room Troy yelled a loud 'go' and right at that moment, people were flying across the room, and crates were blowing up. Troy and Gabriella flew forward, but were not really affected. The explosives were very little, they would only get things close by. When Troy and Gabriella were far from the guards and over by the larger crates they sighed in relief. She smiled brightly at what they had just accomplished. She was able to do it. She was braver than she had ever been. All for Troy.

"We did it Troy!" Gabriella squealed and hugged Troy tightly. He smiled back and looked up at where the guards were. Most were lying on the floor not moving, but some were groaning and trying to sit up. Troy couldn't see Jacob anywhere. He sighed and ducked back down.

"What's wrong Troy?" Gabriella asked, moving his chin toward her face.

"We have to get outta here. This whole place is going to blow." Troy looked down at a watch around his wrist that was at 6:00 and decreasing. She nodded and they both stood up, ready to run once more. He held onto her hand tightly and they ran toward the door like lightening, not worried about any bullets. All the guards seemed to be taken care of. They were about halfway to the other side when Gabriella heard a gun shot go off. They both plummeted to the ground, hitting the floor hard. While they were both on the floor Troy reached over to Gabriella and pulled out her gun, aiming it at whoever shot them. He sat up a little and pulled Gabriella over to the other crates to take cover once more. She groaned and held onto her wrist that had a cast on it. Troy started shooting at the other side. He grinned widely when he shot Jacob right in the head. He did it..He really killed the man that was indestructible. Well, everyone thought that. They obviously didn't know he was a pussy who sucked at aiming.

"Gabriella are you okay?" Troy quickly turned to Gabriella and looked her over to make sure she was okay. She wasn't shot. Thank god.

"Troy..my hand." Gabriella winced at her already sprained wrist. Her eyes widened a moment later and Troy gave her a confused glance.

"We have to go, come on." He went to grab her hand but she quickly pulled it back, still looking shocked. "God damn Gabriella what?"

"T-Troy..." She looked down at his body, right where he was once stabbed. He looked down as well and gasped. He was the one shot. And he was too in the moment to notice. All of the sudden his stomach started to cringe and his body went numb. Blood was seeping through his shirt, flowing onto the floor.

"I-I'm f-fine." He stuttered and she shook her head, tears coming out of her eyes. "We have to go Gabriella." She nodded hesitantly and got into position to run. He yelped in pain when he tried to move. Her head shot back to him and she looked at him, worry written all over her face. She crawled to his side and lifted his shirt. She winced when she noticed there was no vest. There was a single hole close to his belly button and blood was spilling out. No, please, no. Not right now. Don't taken him away.

"Troy! Where's your vest dammit!" Gabriella moved her fingers over his wound, not putting any pressure on it. He bit his lip and slammed his head back against the crate. "Please tell me you didn't give the only one to me!" She screamed, her eyes watering more. He smiled at her, his face getting paler by the second.

How could this be happening again? Everything was going fine. They were going to get out. They were so close. So close to a normal life. So close to being together with no worries.

"I-I love you, I couldn't let you die." He told her, still faintly smiling. She glared at him and grabbed his face in her hands. "How could you be so stupid Troy? You have to get up! I will not let you die in here!"

He pushed her hand away when she grabbed at his arm. He groaned at the pain and felt his eyes closing. He opened them again, not ready to die. "Gabriella go. Leave this place. Now." He pushed her forward, forgetting about all the pain he was feeling.

She just shook her head, her eyes closed. "Troy..I'm not leaving you..if you are going to die, I'm going to stay right here with you." Gabriella sat at his side, holding his hand tightly in hers.

"Gabriella please stop, you need to go. You don't have much time." He was having a hard time trying to keep his eyes open, or even trying to move. His breathing became harder to control, and Gabriella looked at him. She wiped her tears off her face and slowly kissed him on the lips. "I love you Romeo. Now we can be together forever."

He wanted to throw her out of there and let her live her life without him. But he couldn't argue, he could barely move. He didn't want to fight their last few seconds of life. He just wanted to be with her until it was over. Like she said...they would be together, forever.

_20..19..18..17..16..15..14..13..12..11..10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1..._

_together, forever. _

* * *

_5 months later_

"Will you please hurry up? We have a flight to get too."

"Just wait one second! I need to make it perfect."

Chad placed the flowers on the gravestone and smiled up at Taylor who smiled back. He looked back at the gravestone and played with the edges.

_Here lies Troy Alexander Bolton,_

_A beloved brother and boyfriend._

_May he rest in peace, forever._

_October 18, 1987 – March 8, 2011_

Chad stood up and sighed, pushing the dirt off of his pants. He walked over to the gravestone placed next to Troys and placed more flowers down.

_Gabriella Anne Montez_

_She always brightened up the mood-_

_with her bubbly smile and giggle._

_May she always have moments like these in heaven, forever._

_December 14, 1988 – March 8, 2011_

Taylor let a tear fall down her cheek and she smiled. "They would've liked the flowers."

"No, they would've loved them." Chad stood back up and placed his hand around Taylors waist. He kissed her gently on the cheek and they left the cemetery, hand in hand.

* * *

Ah, okay. I know you guys hate me. But I thought it was...I DONT KNOW. I'm kind of upset with it myself. Eh, though. I know I rushed it. But theres one more chapter left, kind of an epilogue. I gotta talk about Marissa, Adam, Dylan blah. And no, you wont meet any real parents. That's the only family they need right now. K, bye! Don't hate me too much okay? :(:(:(


	29. Normal

"Chad?" Taylor asked as she slowly opened her eyes on the plane.

"Yeah babe?"

"Are we almost there?"

He kissed the top of her forehead and nodded. "15 more minutes."

"You think they'll recognize us? We haven't seen them in forever."

Chad chuckled and pulled her closer to him. "Of course they will. We haven't changed much."

Taylor smiled and intertwined her fingers with his. "I'm glad we're finally going to see them. I bet they look like different people."

"I'm sure they do."

* * *

"Taylor can you please hurry up? The bags aren't that heavy!" Chad sighed and walked over to Taylor who was having a hard time picking up her large suitcases.

"We're only staying here for a week, you know that right? You didn't need all of that shit."

Taylor rolled her eyes and pushed the bag at him. "Maybe I want to stay here forever. New York is beautiful."

"You think? Cause I hate it. They should of moved to California or something."

Taylor laughed sarcastically and walked ahead of Chad. He sighed and grabbed her extra bags, trying to juggle them all.

"Just shut up Chad. I don't want to fight. Jessica and Rob are waiting." Taylor smiled widely when he nodded, understanding, and she pulled out her cell phone from her purse. She typed a few letters on the screen and frowned when she saw her background. Chad looked over her shoulder and smiled comfortingly.

"You guys are beautiful." Taylors head jerked up to see Chad hovering over her. She nodded and looked at the picture once again. It was of her and Gabriella smiling wide, a few days before the incident.

"I miss them, Chad." Chad smiled and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the cab.

* * *

After a few hours of sitting uncomfortably in the disgusting taxi, the car pulled up to a large apartment building. Chad handed the money to the cab driver and they grabbed their bags, soon making their way to the front.

"What are you waiting for? Buzz us in." Taylor removed her hand from the button and smiled when she heard a loud buzz. Chad walked to the side of her as they walked up the steps to a door with the number 43 plastered on it.

"This is exciting." Chad put his arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. "I know."

Taylor knocked on the door and after a few moments the door opened to reveal a tan woman with black hair and brown highlights. Her hair was shoulder length, and it swayed as she squealed loudly. Her brown eyes glistened when she stared at Taylor, and her face lit up.

"Agh! Jessica!" Taylor shouted, smiling at the woman in front of her. She ran at her and they both embraced in a large hug.

"Tay!" Jessica pulled away and smiled at Chad, pulling him into a hug as well. When she pulled away she motioned toward the apartment. "Come in guys. We have A LOT to catch up on."

Taylor smiled and grabbed Chads hand, following the girl in front of her. Jessica closed the door and smiled brightly at Taylor again. She ran at her and pulled her into another hug, leaving Chad standing alone.

"He's in the other room." Jessica told Chad and he nodded, leaving the girls alone.

"Taylor, you look so beautiful." Jessica pulled away after a long hug and smiled down at Taylor. Taylor laughed and played with Jessicas hair.

"Me? You look beautiful! And your hair is short!" She let go of the curled locks and giggled.

"Well it was time for a change." Jessica grabbed Taylors hand and brought her over to the sofa in the small living room.

"So tell me, Jessica, how are you liking things here?"

Jessica looked down and giggled, shaking her head. Taylors eyes widened and she starting giggling too. "Oh my god. I'm sorry, I forgot for a moment. I've said it too much."

"Yeah, you have! Only use that when you call or text, understand?"

"Of course." Taylor smiled and hugged Jessica again. They both giggled and held onto each other tightly. "I missed you so much Gabi. Don't ever make us fake your deaths, again."

Gabriella pulled away and smiled sincerely. "It was for safety reasons, you know that." Taylor was about to speak when she saw two boys coming her way, punching each other and laughing.

"Troy!" Taylor shot up from her seat and ran to Troy to give him a hug.

"Hey Taylor." Troy laughed and hugged her back, looking at Gabriella still seated on the couch. He gave her a small wink and she giggled, standing up to walk to them. Troy pulled away and smiled when Gabriella was next to him. He put his arm around her waist and looked at the other couple.

"Have you been taking care of my bro, Tay?" Troy joked and Taylor nodded.

"He misses you guys. So does Marissa." Troy finally told Chad and Taylor about his secret family, and they agreed to watch over her to make sure she was okay. Both Marissa and Dylan knew Troy and Gabriella were both alive, he could never lie to them like that. They only faked their deaths in case people were still looking for them, which it seemed like people always were. They just wanted a normal life. So they packed up, changed their appearances a bit, and moved to another state.

"Well I'll just have to tell her to get her little ass down here."

Everyone laughed and chatted for the next 5 hours, catching up on everything and anything. Gabriella and Troy were staying on the down low now, nothing big. They both had small jobs to afford the apartment and spent every waking moment together. It was now 10 pm, and Taylor and Chad were sleeping in the guest bedroom while Troy and Gabriella were sitting on the couch.

"I'm glad you invited them here."

Troy smiled and threw his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. "They're our friends. We couldn't go a lifetime without seeing them."

"Agreed." Gabriella giggled and pecked Troys cheek. "Are we ever going to move back to Albuquerque?"

Troy smiled down at her and nodded. "When things cool down a bit, I promise we'll go right back."

"It's not that I don't love it here..I just miss being with our friends. And I got pretty close to your sister." Gabriella told him as she nuzzled into his chest.

"I know what you mean, babe."

"Troy?" Gabriella looked up at Troy after a few minutes of silence and he looked back, his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah?"

"I love you." Troy responded by placing a gentle kiss on Gabriellas lips and he mumbled against them; "I love you too. _Forever."_

Gabriella smiled in the kiss and pulled Troy closer to her. Everything was going to be okay now. They were together...and _normal._

* * *

You really think I would kill them off after all of those chapters? Come on, have a little faith in me! I would never! I'm trying to decide for a sequel, but I'm not sure. What do you guys think? And HA at the people that were upset, owned! I like happy endings guys, in fact I HATE when they don't end up together and happy D: Okay, so about the chapter. I was rushing i know, and it's probably overused. But I needed them to live! If anyones confused, just tell me. I'll explain (: Thank you so much EVERYONE for reading my story and sticking with me. It means a lot, 3


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